Mikel Arteta indicated that Arsenal may welcome back several players from injury for their Premier League away match against Nottingham Forest this weekend. No new setbacks occurred during the 3-2 win over Chelsea in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final.
William Saliba and Leandro Trossard both started against Chelsea after missing the FA Cup tie at Portsmouth. The team still cannot count on Riccardo Calafiori, Piero Hincapie, Cristhian Mosquera and young Max Dowman.
Possible returns and recovery timelines
Arteta responded to questions about potential returns: “It might be. I need to meet with the medical staff now. We have a training session, and we will see who is available for the weekend. I cannot tell you yet.”
Calafiori is the regular left-back but has not played since the Carabao Cup quarter-final against Crystal Palace before Christmas due to an unspecified knock. He was named in the squad against Brighton but withdrew during warm-up. The Italian has missed the last six matches across all competitions.
Hincapie filled in for Calafiori on the left but limped off with a hamstring issue in the draw against Liverpool. He missed both Portsmouth and Chelsea games.
Mosquera and Dowman are longer-term absences. Mosquera suffered an ankle injury in the 2-0 win over Brentford in early December. 16-year-old Dowman damaged ankle ligaments in a U-21 friendly against Manchester United last month.
Arteta previously said Mosquera and Dowman have similar injuries and are a few weeks away from resuming training. Calafiori’s return is also a matter of weeks, while Hincapie’s exact timeline remains unclear.
