Arsenal secured a place in the fourth round of the FA Cup after they beat League 1 side Oxford United 3-0 in Monday’s third-round clash.
Egyptian midfielder Mohamed Elneny broke the deadlock in the second half before young striker Eddie Nketiah netted a brace to secure the victory for Mikel Arteta’s side, who face Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium in the next round of the cup. Before then, the Gunners play two crucial Premier League matches, traveling to N17 to take on local rivals Tottenham Hotspur before hosting Manchester United to the Emirates Stadium seven days later.
Ahead of Sunday’s mouth-watering North London derby against Antonio Conte’s Spurs, football.london has rounded up all the injury problems that Arsenal will be stressing over as the Gunners look to do the double over their local rivals for the first time since 2013/14.
Gabriel Jesus
Jesus suffered medial ligament damage whilst playing for Brazil against Cameroon in the World Cup group stages. The 25-year-old later returned to London to undergo surgery on his knee.
The former Man City man has been keen to update Arsenal fans on his injury rehabilitation and posted last week that he no longer needed crutches. The striker has posted another encouraging update on his recovery that offers a more insightful view.
Emile Smith Rowe
Smith Rowe has been out for a considerable length of time. However, Arteta included the Englishman on the bench for the match against Oxford and he came on in the 75th minute.
What Arteta has said: “We need him fit and at his best. When we have that we have an incredible player that we have missed a lot,” said Arteta.
“If he trains tomorrow, hopefully, he will be able to give us something on Monday.”
Expected return date: Returned.
Reiss Nelson
The extent of Nelson’s hamstring injury is currently unknown, but Arteta admitted after the friendly with Juventus that it could be problematic.
What Arteta has said: “We don’t know the extent of the injury. The fact that he had to leave the pitch straight away is not good news, especially with someone like Reiss who is really powerful and fast. Let’s see what will happen. We know what we have to do and that doesn’t change the plans [for the transfer window].”
Expected return date: Unknown.
Bukayo Saka
Bukayo Saka was substituted with 15 minutes to go in the second half against Oxford on Monday evening after Saka went down with an injury in the 75th minute.
However, signs were positive concerning his injury as he was able to walk around the pitch and back to the bench as Smith Rowe was introduced, highlighting that Arteta may be taking precautions with the youngster.
Expected return date: Unknown.
