Arsenal will put their unbeaten 2024-25 Premier League streak on the line on Sunday afternoon, when they make the short trip across the capital to meet Tottenham Hotspur in the first North London derby of the season.
Mikel Arteta‘s men have accrued seven points from their opening nine matches of the season, although they lost their 100% record in a frustrating 1-1 draw with Brighton & Hove Albion before the international break.
That stalemate means that the Gunners trail Liverpool and Manchester City by two points at this early stage, and Arteta is working around a midfield selection crisis for Sunday’s battle.
Here, Sports Mole rounds up all of Arsenal’s latest injury and suspension news ahead of their clash with Spurs, who went down 2-1 to Newcastle United in gameweek three.
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Status: Major doubt
Type of injury: Ankle
Possible return date: September 15 (vs. Tottenham)
Victim of a nasty ankle sprain during Norway’s Nations League showdown with Austria, captain Martin Odegaard is expected to spend three weeks minimum on the sidelines, but Arteta curiously did not rule him out of this weekend’s derby.
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Status: Minor doubt
Type of injury: Calf
Possible return date: September 15 (vs. Tottenham)
Arsenal’s second casualty of the international break, Riccardo Calafiori sustained a bizarre calf injury when France’s Ousmane Dembele unintentionally whacked him after being tackled himself. The ex-Bologna man withdrew from the Azzurri squad a day later, but that was thought to have been more precautionary than anything else, and he could make the cut here.
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Status: Out
Type of injury: Shoulder
Possible return date: Unknown
Speaking of freak injuries, Mikel Merino fractured his shoulder in his first Arsenal training session after feeling the full force of Gabriel Magalhaes landing on him, and it will be a few weeks before he is considered for a debut.
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Status: Minor doubt
Type of injury: Groin
Possible return date: September 15 (vs. Tottenham Hotspur)
Fitness problems have reared their ugly head once again for Gabriel Jesus, who has missed the last two matches with a groin injury, but Arsenal are keeping their fingers crossed that he will shake off the issue in time for Sunday.
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Status: Out
Type of injury: Knee
Possible return date: Unknown
The equally luckless Takehiro Tomiyasu has been in the treatment room with a knee problem since the start of pre-season, and as he is still yet to return to training, there is no timeframe on his return.
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Status: Out
Type of injury: Hamstring
Possible return date: Unknown
Likewise, Kieran Tierney – who was expected to leave in the summer – is still recovering from the hamstring problem he picked up at the Euros, and it is not clear when he might be back in action.
ARSENAL’S SUSPENSION LIST
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Return date: September 19 (vs. Atalanta BC)
While already on a booking against Brighton, Declan Rice delayed the restart by tapping the ball away from Joel Veltman as the Dutchman lined up a free kick, being kicked for his troubles. As a result, Arsenal will be without their £105m man for the derby.
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