Arsenalare busy getting ready to face Liverpool in the Premier League, but are being forced to deal with several injury concerns. The Gunners take on the Merseyside outfit at the Emirates Stadium on Thursday evening as they continue their quest to be crowned champions.
Mikel Arteta’s side go into the game having beaten Bournemouth at the weekend, while Liverpool were held to a draw with Leeds United in their previous fixture.
Arteta spoke to reporters on Wednesday afternoon as he provided an update on the fitness of his squad, specifically players who are still on the sidelines or have been recovering from an injury.
• Mikel Arteta responds to Arsenal role change that left Enzo Maresca and Ruben Amorim furious
• Mikel Arteta drops Kai Havertz hint as two Arsenal stars ruled out for Liverpool clash
Here, football.london provides an update on Arsenal’scurrent injury list and potential return dates ahead of the clash against Liverpool.
Cristhian MosqueraCristhian Mosquera has been recovering from an ankle injury for the last few weeks, which has forced him to miss Arsenal's last eight matches.
Arteta stated that Mosquera is not available to face Liverpool but is nearing the end of his rehabilitation from the injury.
"I think pretty soon they [Mosquera and Riccardo Calafiori] have to go to the last stage of the rehab, I think everything goes well, hopefully very soon they will be available for selection."
Potential return date: Portsmouth (A) - January 11 - FA Cup
Riccardo CalafioriRiccardo Calafiori has missed Arsenal's last three matches with an injury he picked up during the warm-up of the win against Brighton last month.
Calafiori has already been ruled out of the match against Liverpool by Arteta, but a return from injury is not too far away.
Potential return date: Portsmouth (A) - January 11 - FA Cup
Kai HavertzKai Havertz has been having his fitness managed since recovering from a knee injury that kept him on the sidelines for most of the season so far.
Havertz was named on the bench for the win over Aston Villa but was not in the squad for the recent victory over Bournemouth.
Arteta explained that Arsenal are continuing to assess Havertz's fitness and that the striker has a chance of being available to face Liverpool.
"Yeah, we are monitoring," Arteta said. "Obviously, his load he has been out for a long time for two different reasons and he's very close, he trained this morning again and hopefully we're going to have him available and the best version of Kai Havertz."
Potential return date: Liverpool (H) - January 8 - Premier League