Mikel Arteta has confirmed that Arsenal are likely to welcome back Declan Rice, Riccardo Calafiore and Oleksandr Zinchenko to the squad for Saturday's clash with Crystal Palace.
The trio were absent midweek Carabao Cup win over the Eagleswith Calafiore spending two weeks on the sidelines and Zinchenko sidelined for almost a month due to a variety of reasons Fitness issues.
ArsenalThe injury battle appears to be winding down, with Arteta telling a press conference that all three players are expected to return to action this weekend.
Arteta said: “(Rice and Calafiore) are available to participate in the team.” “Zinchenko will probably be available as well.”
A slip of the tongue saw Arteta seemingly reveal that defender Takehiro Tomiyasu was also close to returning, but the Arsenal boss later confirmed that the 26-year-old, who has been struggling with a knee injury all season, was still unavailable.
Ben White remains out with a knee injury, but Arsenal will welcome back-up goalkeeper Neto back into the squad after the Bournemouth loanee was cup-tied for their midweek clash with Palace.
Arsenal enters the match six points behind league leaders Liverpool, who have played one match less than the Gunners. Arteta's side also fell four points behind Chelsea, but the gap could be reduced when the two teams face Tottenham Hotspur and Everton respectively on Sunday.