Arsenal have received a major boost ahead of Sunday's North London derby, with striker Gabriel Jesus passed as fit for the game, while Takehiro Tomiyasu is also said to have made 'excellent progress' on his road to recovery.
The Gunners head to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium off the back of a disappointing 1-1 draw with Brighton, a game overshadowed by a controversial red card for Declan Rice. The English midfielder is now suspended for the showdown with the London giants' fierce rivals, while Mikel Arteta will also be without Mikel Merino, who is out of action until late October, after breaking his arm in his first training session.
While Martin Odegaard and Riccardo Calafiori are also doubts, Jesus is now set to return and is in contention to start the game. The Brazilian missed Arsenal's last two fixtures with a groin issue, but has stepped up his recovery plan over the international break and is likely to feature in some capacity on the weekend.
Gabriel Jesus Fit for Derby
The Striker has had persistent injury issues
With Arsenal expected to compete with Manchester City for the Premier League title once again, and the Citizens likely to amass over 90 points, the margin for error in regard to dropping points is slim. Having let two points slip at home to Brighton, the pressure is on Arteta's side to return to London Colney from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with all three.
The Gunners may be without captain Odegaard, as well as Rice and Merino, as the Norwegian playmaker was pictured on crutches as he boarded a plane to take him to London for an MRI scan. The creative midfielder collided with Christoph Baumgartner during Norway's clash with Austria on Monday night, in what looked like a sprained ankle incident.
While Calafiori has also returned to London after suffering a freak injury for Italy, and may not feature on Sunday, the potential return of Jesus is a huge boost for Arteta's side. Writing on X, the Hand of Ozil revealed that the striker will be available to play against Spurs, while Tomiyasu is making progress after suffering from a knee problem:
Jesus netted in his first North London derby back in October 2022, in a 3-1 Arsenal win, and Arteta will be hoping he can cause similar problems to Ange Postecoglou's back-line, featuring in an attack that could include debutant Raheem Sterling.
Jesus has been a regular in the team when he has been fit since joining from Man City, penning a long-term deal worth around £265,000-per-week at the Emirates
Key Match Incidents Panel Reveals Verdict on Rice Red
They insist the decision was correct
With Arsenal's game at the Emirates against Brighton poised at 1-0 to the home team, official Chris Kavanagh opted to dismiss Rice from the pitch for delaying the restart. While many felt the decision was harsh and demonstrated a lack of consistency in conjunction with similar incidents, the Premier League's Key Match Incidents panel have insisted that the correct decision was made in the moment.
The panel, which consists of three former players or coaches, a single representative from the Premier League and one from the Professional Game Match Officials Board, say the decision represented an accurate implementation of the law and were unanimous in their thought process.
It was the first red card of Rice's Arsenal career and he will miss the clash with Tottenham as a result, but should be well rested ahead of the Champions League clash with Atalanta on Thursday before the Gunners host Man City the following weekend.