Arsenal welcome Tottenham Hotspur to the Emirates Stadium this afternoon in what is set to be an important North London Derby for both teams. Spurs have won each of their last four Premier League outings following their opener at Brentford.
Similarly, the Gunners have also collected 13 points from their first five league games, a tally that only Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City have bettered. But Mikel Arteta’s side are without several key players for today’s game due to injury, with the likes of Jurrien Timber and Thomas Partey both on the treatment table after their long-term issues.
Left winger Gabriel Martinelli is also a doubt to face the Lillywhites after the Brazilian international picked up a hamstring problem against Everton last weekend. With all that said, football.london takes a look at the latest Arsenal injury news.
Gabriel Martinelli
Arsenal star Gabriel Martinelli suffered a hamstring injury during the win over Everton. The Brazilian winger looks set for a period on the sidelines of Champions League football when he returns to the Emirates Stadium this week – ahead of this weekend’s North London Derby against Tottenham.
Martinelli missed training on Friday ahead of the Premier League clash against Spurs at the Emirates Stadium.
What Mikel Arteta said: “With Gaby we are still evaluating him and so we will see if he can play the game or not.”
When asked if Martinelli was out of the game against the Lillywhites, the Spaniard simply replied: “No.”
Return date: Unknown
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Thomas Party
The Ghana FA confirmed on Saturday afternoon that Partey had a groin problem during a training session on Thursday, a huge blow to Arteta. It remains to be seen how long the 30-year-old will be sidelined.
According to the Daily MailArsenal hope Partey will be available after the October international break.
damage: CUT
Return date: Oct.
What the Ghana FA said: “He sustained a groin injury during training on Thursday, August 31, 2023. He is currently unavailable as the Club Doctors predict that he will likely be out for several weeks.”
What Mikel Arteta had to say: “Thomas (Partey) will definitely be out (against Spurs). And the others will hopefully be available, we still have two training sessions but no major issues in the middle of the week.”
Jurrien Timber
football.london understands that the Dutch international underwent a successful operation two weeks ago and is now in the “recovery phase” of his rehabilitation.
He attended the match against Man United. football.london spoke to Timber after the match where the 22-year-old still used the help of two crutches to move.
Asked how he felt about his recovery, a quick, “good, good” response. He will be sorely missed, especially with the club failing to find a suitable replacement in the summer transfer window.
damage: knee
Return date: 2024
What Arteta said: “It’s a big blow. Especially for him after joining the club. To get the injury he got is a big blow. We recruited him with a clear goal and what he brings to the team is obvious , but he can’t. this time. We have to adjust. These things happen, unfortunately, and we have to move on.