Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta has provided an injury update on five key players ahead of Wednesday's EFL Cup clash with Brentford.
The Gunners will begin their quest for a third EFL Cup title - and a first since the 1992-93 season - when they take on their London rivals at the Gtech Community Stadium in the third round.
Arteta's men lost to Brighton & Hove Albion in the third round last year, but they head into Wednesday's clash unbeaten in all tournaments since the season kicked off, despite a growing injury list.
During Sunday's enthralling 2-2 North London derby draw with Tottenham Hotspur, record signing Declan Rice was forced off at the break with a back problem, while Bukayo Saka limped off towards the end of the match.
Addressing the media in Tuesday's pre-game press conference, Arteta ruled Rice out of the EFL Cup tie, but he is confident that the former West Ham United man has avoided a serious concern and may come into contention for Saturday's trip to Bournemouth.
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"He hasn't trained yet. He couldn't carry on in the game. He was uncomfortable. Hopefully it's not something big. We are confident it's nothing big," Arteta told reporters.
"He had to leave the pitch and that's never a good sign. Hopefully it will progress in the next few days. He won't be available. Let's see if he has a chance or not (for the weekend)."
However, Arteta had no positive news to share on Saka and admitted that it is a "possibility" that the England attacker could miss the imminent meeting with Bournemouth, adding: "He was limping quite badly after the match. We had to get him off the field which is never a good sign. He hasn't been able to participate in the session."
Prior to the four-goal spectacular against Spurs, Arsenal suffered another attacking injury blow with Leandro Trossard, who picked up a muscular problem during the week and was not available for Sunday's match.
While the Belgian is not believed to be dealing with a severe concern, Arteta also ruled him out of the League Cup tie, while Gabriel Martinelli (hamstring) remains in the treatment room too.
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The Brazilian sustained the problem during Arsenal's 1-0 success over Everton two weekends ago, but Arteta offered hope that he could be fit for Bournemouth, adding: "Let's see for the weekend."
Finally, the Spaniard confirmed that Ghanaian midfielder Thomas Partey would continue to miss out owing to his groin problem and lamented the "really short" size of his squad, with Jurrien Timber (ACL) also out for the long-term.
When asked if Partey could make Wednesday's derby, Arteta replied: "No. It's a long list. We need to adapt. The squad we have at the moment is really short and we need players back, that's for sure."
As well as their six injury absentees, Arsenal are also expected to be without Brentford loanee David Raya, unless the Bees have given permission for the goalkeeper to play against his parent club.
As a result, Aaron Ramsdale is expected to come in for his first start since the Gunners' 3-1 win over Manchester United before the international break, having been benched for the past three games.
Reiss Nelson, Emile Smith Rowe, Jorginho, Mohamed Elneny, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Jakub Kiwior are among other fringe players set to be handed opportunities to impress on Wednesday night.
Ben Knapton
