Arsenal return to Premier League action with more injury concerns ahead of the visit of Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
Mikel Arteta was able to welcome Martin Odegaard back into the side prior to the international break after three months out with an ankle injury but there are now fresh problems for the Gunners boss to sweat over.
Ben White is facing a spell on the sidelines after undergoing minor knee surgery. The right-back has been playing through the pain barrier in recent weeks with the club deciding the final international break of the year was the right time for him to go under the knife.
Arsenal have not yet confirmed a timeline for his return with speculation suggesting he could be out for eight weeks.
Arteta will be sick of the sight of his players limping off injured representing their countries with another blow last week when Leandro Trossard picked up a knock playing for Belgium against Israel.
He will be assessed back in London in the coming days with Arteta expected to give a full injury update on his squad on Friday.
Declan Rice suffered a broken toe ahead of the Champions League game against Inter Milan but was back in the side against Chelsea a few days later. Both he and Bukayo Saka came off at Stamford Bridge that evening with Arteta later insisting ‘it doesn’t look good’.
With both Saka and Rice missing the international break to recover from those knocks, it remains to be seen how severe those issues are.
Elsewhere, Riccardo Calafiori also remained at London Colney to step his recovery from a knee injury suffered against Shakhtar Donetsk last month. Arteta initially ruled the defender out for a ‘couple of weeks’ with hope he can be available again this weekend.
Takehiro Tomiyasu meanwhile is continuing his recovery from a knee problem with Kieran Tierney also still sidelined.
Predicted Arsenal XI to face Nottingham Forest
Raya, Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori, Odegaard, Partey, Rice, Saka, Havertz, Martinelli
Where to watch Arsenal vs Nottingham Forest? Kick-off time and TV channel
Arsenal vs Nottingham Forest kicks off at 3pm on Saturday 23 November.
Given its 3pm kick-off slot, the match is not available to watch live in the UK. But you can follow all the action on Metro’s live matchday blog.
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