Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has been dealt an untimely injury blow with Declan Rice ahead of Wednesday's EFL Cup third-round showdown with London rivals Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium.
The £105m midfielder had to come off at half time in Sunday's North London derby due to a back issue, although Arteta is hopeful that his record signing will not be sidelined for an extended period of time.
That is more than can be said for Jurrien Timber (knee), Gabriel Martinelli (hamstring) and Thomas Partey (groin), while Leandro Trossard was a late withdrawal from Sunday's squad owing to a muscular problem sustained on the training fields.
With injuries piling up and a daunting October schedule on the agenda, Arteta will not shy away from a raft of changes, starting with Aaron Ramsdale wrestling the gloves off ineligible new number one David Raya, who cannot face his parent club.
Cedric Soares, Jakub Kiwior and Takehiro Tomiyasu are also in line for promotion from the bench, but William Saliba may hold his position in the rearguard due to a lack of other available options.
Eight months on from his serious knee injury, Mohamed Elneny made the bench on Sunday and could now don the red and white for the first time since January, potentially alongside Kai Havertz and Jorginho, whose error gifted Son Heung-min his second goal on Sunday.
Bukayo Saka was in the wars at the weekend and limped around the perimeter of the field after being substituted, so Reiss Nelson ought to be given an opportunity to strut his stuff from the first whistle.
Eddie Nketiah did not set the world alight in the derby, but the Englishman could form a Three Lions front three with Emile Smith Rowe, who can capitalise on Martinelli and Trossard's injury woes to earn an increasingly rare start.
Arsenal possible starting lineup: Ramsdale; Cedric, Saliba, Kiwior, Tomiyasu; Havertz, Elneny, Jorginho; Nelson, Nketiah, Smith Rowe
Ben Knapton
