Arsenal return to the Premier League next weekend when they take on Brentford and Mikel Arteta will see the return of some very important players.
The Gunners are currently third on the EPL table, just one point away from the top spot so they will need to win this away game if they wish to keep the pressure on Manchester City.
Mikel Arteta has been without some important players but most of them should have recovered fully during the international break and will be available for the away trip to Brentford.
Martin Odegaard didn’t feature in the games against Newcastle, Sevilla, and Burnley which could have been due to his hip injury but the playmaker will be back in action against Brentford.
Gabriel Jesus is another player who has been on the sidelines for a month after he picked up a hamstring injury during Arsenal’s Champions League win over Sevilla. The forward has also made a full recovery and will be in the matchday squad this coming weekend.
However, even when he was fit, Mikel Arteta had opted to use Eddie Nketiah as his main centre-forward so there’s no guarantee that Gabriel Jesus is going to get a start for Arsenal.
Ben White had been playing with an undisclosed injury but this international break has given him time to recover so he will be back as well.
Thomas Partey has been unfortunate with injuries and he will not play for Arsenal in 2023. There have been talks of selling him in January which would mean the midfielder might have played his final game for the Gunners.
Jurrien Timber sustained an ACL tear early on in the season and the summer signing won’t return before March of 2024.
Martin Odegaard and Ben White are guaranteed starters for Arsenal at the weekend but we doubt if Arteta is going to use Gabriel Jesus ahead of Nketiah. Jesus’ time with Arsenal has been marred with injuries and at the same time, Nketiah has done a great job whenever called upon so the manager does not need to bench him.
