Mikel Arteta will have to manage his squad properly to avoid player injuries ahead of the upcoming fixture congestion in the next few weeks.
1. Elneny and Kolasinac unavailable through Covid-19
The Egyptian and the Bosnian have tested positive for Covid-19 and are set to miss some of the upcoming games.
In the case of Elneny, the 28-year-old has proved to be a real asset in Arteta's tactical plans and is set to be a huge loss for the team.
Kolasinac is a back-up option and could participate in the Europa League games when he recovers to give a rest to those who are ahead of him in the pecking order.
2. International break fatigue
A lot of Gunners very involved heavily in action during the international break. The boss will probably have to rotate his squad ahead of the hectic schedule to ease the strain on players' bodies.
- Saka - 2 full games plus 1 substitute appearance for England
- Aubameyang - 2 full games for Gabon
- Pepe - 2 full games for Ivory Coast
- Tierney - 3 full games for Scotland, one of which lasted for 120 minutes
- Nketiah - 1 full game and 1 substitute appearance for England U21
- Xhaka - 1 full game and 1 more appearance (for 45 minutes) for Switzerland
3. Injuries
The club are yet to provide a fresh fitness update. What we know so far is that Thomas Partey got injured against Aston Villa and had to miss the November internationals.
Gabriel Martinelli is undergoing recovery after knee surgery and is unlikely to play before the end of the year.
Callum Chambers and Pablo Mari are building up fitness but are expected to be available at some point after the international break. Yet, both of them will need minutes (probable with the U23s) in action to regain rhythm following lengthy spells on the sidelines.
