Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has admitted that he has a pair of injury doubts for Sunday's Premier League showdown with Manchester United at Old Trafford.
Only Jurrien Timber was missing from the ranks for last Saturday's 3-0 beating of Bournemouth, although he has played a couple of games for the Under-21s since coming back from his ACL injury.
However, Arteta revealed on Friday that both Bukayo Saka and Takehiro Tomiyasu would need assessing over the weekend, although there may very well have been some mind games involved from the Gunners boss.
Now confirmed as the recipient of the 2023-24 Golden Glove, David Raya guards the posts as ever, while William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes form a recognisable barrier in front of him.
Ben White - whose corner antics have made a few headlines recently - is a stalwart on the right-hand side, and Tomiyasu has momentarily nailed down the left-back spot ahead of Jakub Kiwior and Oleksandr Zinchenko, but the latter pair will be on hand if the Japan international does miss out.
Jorginho heads north having just signed a new contract in North London, but Thomas Partey is now Arteta's first choice in the number six role, allowing Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard to strut their stuff further forward.
Saka now sits on 20 goals for the season thanks to his opening penalty last Saturday, and he has also had a direct hand in five Premier League goals against Man United, second only to Thierry Henry's 12 among all Arsenal players.
If his affliction does not prove serious, the England international will no doubt form an unaltered front three with Kai Havertz and Leandro Trossard, forcing Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus to try to make an impact off the bench in the second half.
Arsenal possible starting lineup:
Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Tomiyasu; Odegaard, Partey, Rice; Saka, Havertz, Trossard
> Click here to see how Man United could line up for this clash
Ben Knapton
