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 and will no be pushing for a start on Sunday.
In his press conference on Friday, Arteta said a final call will have to be made on starting Odegaard but with his side on a run of no wins in their last three Premier League outings, he he may be tempted to throw his captain straight back into the starting XI.
Declan Rice missed the trip to Italy with a broken toe, remaining in London to undergo further assessment.
The midfielder is ready to play through the pain barrier but has yet to train this week and will face a late fitness test to determine whether he can start.
And there are issues, too, for Kai Havertz and Mikel Merino. The Spaniard was brought off at half-time against Inter, while Havertz made way late on after a clash of heads with Yann Bisseck left blood pouring from his head.
Merino’s withdrawal was illness related and so is expected to have recovered by Sunday, while Arteta was also hopeful about the availablity of his German striker who received stitches following his collision.
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.
How Arsenal could line up this weekend…
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 FC 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, though, sounded hopeful that his talismanic attacker would be fit for Sunday’s fixture.
How Chelsea could line up this weekend…
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.
Saka certainly has form up against Chelsea (Squawka)
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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