Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has delivered a detailed team news update with Sunday’s Premier League home fixture against Chelsea rapidly approaching.
The Gunners enter gameweek three in strong form, having won both of their opening Premier League matches to begin the new season with maximum points.
Arsenal opened their campaign with a commanding 3-0 victory over newly-promoted Coventry City before following that up with a 1-0 win at Aston Villa last weekend.
Arteta will face fellow compatriot Xabi Alonso on the touchline when Chelsea visit the Emirates Stadium, adding an extra layer of intrigue to what is already a blockbuster fixture.
Summer signing Bruno Guimaraes is a doubt for the game after picking up a knock during his debut appearance as a substitute in the final 20 minutes at Villa Park.
Arteta confirmed the Brazilian international is being assessed ahead of the weekend, saying: “[Bruno] had a knock against Villa in the previous game and he’s being assessed. Hopefully [Saturday], he will be okay for training.”
Cristhian Mosquera is another player who faces a fitness check after limping off with an apparent thigh issue during the second half of the Villa game.
Arteta moved to ease concerns about Mosquera, stating: “For Cristhian, it was more precaution than anything else, so we’ll have to see in the session [Saturday] how he feels.”
Ezri Konsa came on to replace Mosquera in the 78th minute at Villa Park, making his debut against his former club following his summer move to Arsenal, and Arteta confirmed the England international is available, saying: “Ezri is certainly available in the squad, so we’ll see when we make our selection.”
There was also an encouraging update on Jurrien Timber, who missed the summer World Cup with a groin issue and has yet to feature this season, with Arteta saying: “Jurrien is in really good condition at the moment, he’s been a few weeks on the pitch and has been training with us, so he’s in a really good place.”
Arteta added that a decision on Timber’s involvement against Chelsea would be made after Saturday’s training session, giving the Dutchman a realistic chance of featuring this weekend.
Perhaps the most welcome update concerned William Saliba, who was initially expected to be sidelined until at least late November with a back injury sustained while representing France at the World Cup.
Saliba’s inclusion in Arsenal’s Champions League squad list had already hinted that the centre-back may be ahead of schedule in his recovery.
Arteta said: “The progression has been really positive in the last few weeks, but we need to wait and see how that one reacts when we start to put some load into it.”
The Arsenal boss added context on Saliba’s timeline, noting: “We don’t really know the amount of weeks Wilo is going to be out because it’s about a healing process and everything is a bit different — we know we have to respect certain timings.”
If Guimaraes, Timber and Mosquera all pass their fitness assessments, Arteta will have significantly more options at his disposal for what could be a pivotal early-season encounter against Chelsea.
Arsenal will be looking to make it three wins from three games and send a clear statement of intent in the title race with victory over their London rivals on Sunday afternoon.