Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta during a training session ahead of Chelsea (Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
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Arsenal and Chelsea have both won their two Premier League fixtures so far this season which means at least one of the teams will lose their 100 per cent record when they face each other on Sunday.
The Gunners comfortably beat Coventry City and Aston Villa while the Blues edged past Fulham and Brighton, shipping five goals in the process. Mikel Arteta's side will need to be at their best if they are to come away from Emirates Stadium with three points but the Spaniard is sweating over the fitness of a number of his stars.
Cristhian Mosquera was not spotted in training after picking up a hamstring issue in the 1-0 win at Villa on Monday. The 22-year-old defender was replaced by Ezri Konsa with 11 minutes of normal time remaining and is still being assessed ahead of the clash against Chelsea.
"He was more a precaution than anything else, so we'll have to see tomorrow in the session how he feels," Arteta told the media on Friday at his pre-match press conference.
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Bruno Guimaraes also missed training after sustaining another knock against Villa but there is hope the Brazilian will be able to feature against Alonso's men. "Yeah, he had a knock against Villa in the previous game and he's been assessed. Hopefully tomorrow he will be okay for training," Arteta admitted.
Jurrien Timber is yet to feature this season after undergoing a minor procedure on his groin during the summer, which resulted in him missing the World Cup. The full-back was pictured in light training on Thursday and is nearing a return, however.
Arteta said: "Yeah, he's in really good condition at the moment. As I said, he's been now a few weeks on the pitch and he's been training with us now, so he's in a good place." Asked if the Dutchman could be named in Sunday's squad, the Arsenal boss added: "We'll decide again tomorrow after training."
William Saliba will definitely miss the fixture at the weekend as he continues his recovery from a back injury. "Yes, we don't really know the amount of weeks he's going to be out because it's about a healing process in the beginning, it's a bit different," Arteta said. "We know that we have to respect certain timings. The progression has been really positive in the last few weeks, but we need to wait and see how that one reaction will start to put a lot into it."
According to the official Arsenal website, Arteta has 19 fit senior players to choose from for the match against Chelsea. Saliba is definitely ruled out, while Timber may benefit from another week of rest as he still hasn't started full team training. Guimaraes and Mosquera are probably touch and go, and it may well depend on how they feel after training, if they do take part, before a decision is made on their involvement. Given Guimaraes is only recovering from a knock, he may just well be fit in time for this one.
As per Premier League rules, a club is allowed to name a squad of 20 players for a Premier League match. Illan Meslier is one of those available for selection, however it's unlikely Arteta names two goalkeepers on the bench. If Mosquera does not make it, someone like young centre-back Marli Salmon could come in and provide cover.
Possible Arsenal squad for Chelsea: Raya, Kepa; White, Konsa, Gabriel, Calafiori, Hincapie, Salmon; Rice, Guimaraes, Lewis-Skelly, Merino, Zubimendi, Odegaard, Eze; Saka, Tzolis, Madueke, Gyokeres, Havertz
Senior players unavailable for Chelsea: William Saliba (back injury), Jurrien Timber (groin injury), Cristhian Mosquera (hamstring injury - doubt)