Arsenal will be looking to secure a third successive Premier League win for the first time since January when they make the short trip to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea tomorrow evening.
The Gunners, who were 3-1 winners in the reverse fixture at the Emirates Stadium earlier this season, will make the short hop to west London looking to build on Sunday night’s 3-1 home triumph over West Bromwich Albion.
Goals from Emile Smith Rowe, his first in the Premier League, a stunner from Nicolas Pepe and a well-struck free-kick from Willian sealed the points for the home side.
Although there is still a lot more work to be done to make up for last Thursday evening’s UEFA Europa League exit at the hands of Villarreal, it was a step in the right direction for Mikel Arteta’s charges.
However, tomorrow night’s clash with Thomas Tuchel’s in-form Blues will be a stern test for Arsenal, meaning Arteta will need all of his star players at the very top of their game.
But the Spaniard does have some concerning injury troubles to contend with ahead of the trip across the capital. With that said, here is a round-up of all the very latest Gunners injury news.
David Luiz
After being sidelined for a month following knee surgery, Brazilian defender Luiz made his return to action during last Sunday’s 2-0 win over Newcastle United at St James’ Park.
However, he was to last just 53 minutes before being forced off with a hamstring problem. That has since forced him to miss the back-to-back home games with Villarreal and West Brom, meaning Arteta has once again been forced to shuffle his defensive pack.
Ahead of the win over West Brom, Arsenal issued an update on Luiz’s progress, saying : “David has made very good progress since sustaining the injury at Newcastle last Sunday.
“David will continue his rehabilitation over the next week.”
Arteta will almost certainly provide an update on him when speaking to the media ahead of the trip to Stamford Bridge.
Pablo Mari
Fellow centre-back Mari missed the win over West Brom after spraining his ankle during the goalless draw with Villarreal.
Although it was enough to rule him out of the clash with the Baggies, Arsenal are hopeful that he will make a return to training this week. It is currently unclear if he will make a return against Chelsea.
Granit Xhaka
Switzerland international Xhaka was scheduled to start Thursday’s goalless draw with Villarreal, only for him to pick up a groin injury in the warm up and be replaced by Kieran Tierney at left-back at the very last moment.
Issuing an update on Xhaka ahead of Sunday’s victory over the Baggies, Arsenal said: “Granit missed Thursday’s match after sustaining a strain to the groin.
“Granit is not available for Sunday’s match. He will continue to be assessed and rehabilitate the injury with the medical team over the next few days.”
Just like in Mari’s case, it remains to be seen whether or not he will feature against Chelsea tomorrow.
Emile Smith Rowe
After scoring his first Premier League goal, Smith Rowe experienced a disappointing ending to his evening on Sunday as he was forced off just past the hour mark with what Arteta later confirmed to be a hamstring injury.
Losing the attacking-midfielder was a major blow after such a positive performance, meaning the Gunners were forced to play the remainder of the contest without one of their most creative players.
Issuing an update on Smith Rowe’s condition following the full time whistle, Arteta said: “He felt something in his hamstring so he had to come off.
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“He’s been cramping for a while. To be fair he’s still adapting to the demands of the league to playing every three days. Hopefully it’s nothing major.”
Arteta will almost certainly provide a further update on the youngster’s condition ahead of the trip to Stamford Bridge.
Elsewhere, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will be hoping to seal a return to the starting line-up against Chelsea after being left on the substitutes bench against the Baggies, as will both Martin Odegaard and Alexandre Lacazette.