As the bottlers allegations rear their ugly heads again, Arsenal face a must-win Premier League North London derby with Tottenham Hotspur away from home on Sunday afternoon.
Mikel Arteta’s men deservedly dropped two points against basement boys Wolverhampton Wanderers on Wednesday evening, blowing a 2-0 lead to draw 2-2 with the Old Gold courtesy of Tom Edozie’s last-gasp equaliser.
While the Gunners do remain in control of their title destiny at the top of the Premier League table, they could find themselves just two points clear of closest challengers Manchester City if the Sky Blues win their match in hand.
Here, Sports Mole rounds up Arsenal’s latest injury and suspension news ahead of their clash with Spurs, whose fans could hardly have wished for a more fitting introduction for new head coach Igor Tudor.
Martin Odegaard
Type of injury: Knee
Possible return date: February 22 (vs. Spurs)
Martin Odegaard has missed Arsenal’s last two games with the knee injury he suffered against Brentford, but Arteta is “very hopeful” of having his captain back for the trip to Tottenham.
Kai Havertz
Type of injury: Muscle
Possible return date: February 22 (vs. Spurs)
Kai Havertz was initially expected to be sidelined until March with a fresh muscular injury, but Arteta has not ruled him out of the North London derby in a major boost to the league leaders.
Mikel Merino
Type of injury: Foot
Possible return date: Unknown
Arsenal’s only confirmed absentee for the weekend at present, Mikel Merino is on the long road to recovery from foot surgery and is at risk of missing the rest of the season, as well as the World Cup.
Max Dowman
Status: Minor doubt
Type of injury: Ankle
Possible return date: February 22 (vs. Spurs)
Max Dowman has returned to team training following an ankle injury, but having not made the squad against Wolves, it remains to be seen if the youngster is considered for derby selection.