Arsenal start both Gabriel and Declan Rice for today's Premier League clash away at Nottingham Forest.
The defender picked up a knock to his knee in Arsenal’s win over Crystal Palace on January 20, but Mikel Arteta was optimistic he will be available too.
It was a similar situation for Rice, who came off in the final stages of the same game. Arteta said: “He has done some work, but he has missed some work as well. But hopefully he is going to be okay."
Thomas Partey, though, will not make his Arsenal comeback this evening. The midfielder has been out of action since October after injuring his thigh and had hoped to return at the City Ground.
“We have got some late decisions to make,” Arteta told reporters. “Thomas won’t be one of those, but we have a few that obviously had some issues at the end of the last game and we are still uncertain with a few players.
“Thomas is not in the squad. You want everybody available and he is a top player for us, a really important player for us. But at the moment he is not fit yet. We will see [if he can be fit for Liverpool on Sunday]. We will see how things evolve and if that’s too short or if he’s okay.”
Predicted Arsenal XI (4-3-3): Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Odegaard, Rice, Smith Rowe; Saka, Jesus, Martinelli
Subs: Ramsdale, Cedric, Walters, Kiwior, Jorginho, Havertz, Nelson, Trossard, Nketiah
Time and date: 7.30pm on Tuesday, January 30, 2024
Venue: City Ground
TV channel: TNT Sports
Referee: Michael Oliver
