Arsenal have been handed a major boost ahead of their game against Chelsea next weekend due to an injury update.
The Gunners currently have their mind on the North London derby as they are preparing to welcome Tottenham to the Emirates on Sunday afternoon. With a win, Arsenal could extend their lead at the top of the table to seven points, depending on what Man City do against Newcastle on Saturday.
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Mikel Arteta will be without defender Gabriel, which is a big loss for the Arsenal boss, however, the Gunners will still go into the derby as the favourites.
It doesn’t get much easier after this weekend though, as the Gunners will next face Champions League contenders Bayern Munich during next week, before they make the short trip to Stamford Bridge to play against a tough Chelsea side, who could be dark horses for the Premier League title under Enzo Maresca.
Arsenal get major Cole Palmer boost
Chelsea star Cole Palmer has struggled with injuries this season, and he looked set to return in midweek next week when the Blues play against Barcelona. That meant that he would have been available to play against Arsenal, making the Gunners’ job that bit more difficult.
However, fresh a injury update by manager Maresca has confirmed that Palmer will miss the Arsenal game, as he stubbed his toe on a door at home, and is believed to have fractured, or broken it. Sky Sports are reporting that the attacker could be out for an extra three matches, which will be Burnley this weekend, Barcelona in midweek, and Arsenal.
This is fantastic news for Arteta as he won’t have to deal with Palmer in the Chelsea attack, especially considering the Gunners will likely be without Gabriel too.
Palmer has really struggled with injuries this season, so he’s made just three appearances in the Premier League, scoring one goal so far. He will hope to be fit later in the season ahead of the World Cup, but he will be out for the Arsenal game, which is a massive boost.
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