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Arsenal and Mikel Arteta will be hoping that five players can return for their Premier League clash against Nottingham Forest.
With the November international break ongoing, several stars have remained at London Colney to recover from both ongoing and new muscular issues.
Declan Rice and Ben White are among those to have played through discomfort with the latter undergoing a minor procedure earlier this week. White had already missed four weeks of action this season and more absences look set to follow as he recovers from the operation.
Rice meanwhile, picked up an injury against Newcastle at the start of November which resulted in him missing the Champions League game against Inter. The midfielder was able to make the huge clash away at Chelsea but he was withdrawn after 71 minutes and subsequently pulled out of England duty.
Bukayo Saka followed suit, both in regard to going off injured at Stamford Bridge and departing St George’s Park early, with Arteta’s initial update far from positive. “It doesn’t look good, because for two players of that importance to tell you they cannot continue in the game, obviously it’s not good news,” he said in a press conference.
The Mail have now claimed that the Gunners are hopeful of both Rice and Saka available for the visit of Forest, though it is specified the latter is further along in his recovery with it having been claimed that Rice may have broken his foot.
Alongside those concerns, Arteta will be hoping Martin Odegaard does not suffer any setbacks having just returned from a lengthy lay-off because of an ankle injury. The Gunners captain, despite initially travelling to Norway, has remained in north London over the two-week domestic pause.
Riccardo Calafiori is another to have stayed behind because of a knee injury with the expectation being that he can feature against Forest next weekend. Takehiro Tomiyasu has also been plagued by injuries this season, having played just five minutes, though it is hoped he can be available upon the return of domestic football.
Predicted Arsenal lineup vs Nottingham Forest: Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Timber; Partey, Merino, Rice; Saka, Havertz, Martinelli.
