Mikel Arteta will be tempted to bring Martin Odegaard back into his starting XI when Arsenal take on Chelsea at Stamford Bridge this weekend.
After being sidelined for three months with a ‘significant’ ankle injury, the Gunners captain made his long-awaited return off the bench in the Champions League against Inter Milan on Tuesday night.
Odegaard entered the fray for the final minutes at San Siro on a night where Arsenal again lacked a creative spark.
In an ideal world, Arteta would perhaps prefer to ease his skipper back in after an extended lay-off. But needs must with his side on a run of no wins in their last three Premier League outings and two defeats on the road in the last five days.
Declan Rice missed the trip to Italy with a broken toe, remaining in London to undergo further assessment.
Arsenal were hopeful earlier this week it would not rule him out of the trip to west London with latest reports now claiming the midfielder is ready to play through the pain barrier on Sunday.
Kai Havertz was forced off late on against Inter, left with blood pouring from his head after a clash of heads with Yann Bisseck.
While the German did require stitches, Arteta was hopeful he too will be ready for Sunday.
Riccardo Calafiori was ruled out ‘for a few weeks’ in late October and is expected to be unavailable again this weekend with Takeshiro Tomiyasu and Kieran Tierney also still sidelined.
Raheem Sterling meanwhile will be ineligible to face his former club.
As has become the norm, it was all change for Chelsea in the Europa Conference League midweek with Christopher Nkunku, Joao Felix, Mykhailo Mudryk and Enzo Fernandez back in the side for their thumping 8-0 win over Armenian outfit Noah.
Chelsea’s biggest concern is Cole Palmer who has not returned to training this week as a result of the rash challenge he received from Lisandro Martinez at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Enzo Maresca will be hopeful that a week of rest will have resolved the issue.
Jadon Sancho is also a doubt with the winger recovering from illness, according to his manager. The winger shared an Instagram update on Thursday suggesting he is dealing with a separate injury issue that could prevent him from returning this weekend against the Gunners.
Arsenal predicted XI to face Chelsea
Raya, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Timber, Odegaard, Partey, Rice, Saka, Havertz, Martinelli
Chelsea predicted XI to face Arsenal
Sanchez, Gusto, Fofana, Colwill, James, Caicedo, Lavia, Madueke, Palmer, Neto, Jackson
Where to watch Chelsea vs Arsenal? Kick-off time and TV channel
Chelsea vs Arsenal United kicks off at 4:30pm on Sunday, 10 November.
Live coverage is available on Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Main Event, with a live stream available on the Sky Go app and NOW TV.
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