Arsenal Team News: Wenger Confirms Injury Boost + Duo On Course For Comeback

Arsenal will be looking to go top of the Premier League table when we entertain Stoke City at the Emirates on Saturday afternoon.

Ahead of the game, Arsene Wenger has been speaking at his pre-match press conference this morning and he’s given reporters a team news and injury update.

The boss has confirmed that Hector Bellerin could be set to make his comeback after recovering from an ankle injury that’s kept him on the sidelines since our 1-1 draw with Tottenham on November 6th.

Bellerin has missed our last six games in all competitions with Carl Jenkinson, Mathieu Debuchy and Gabriel all deputising at right-back with varying degrees of success during his absence.

However, the 21-year-old has made a quick recovery after returning to training earlier this week and Wenger has confirmed that Bellerin has a chance to make his comeback against Stoke this weekend.

We didn’t suffer any fresh injury problems during the 4-1 win over Basel on Tuesday night but Francis Coquelin will return to the squad on Saturday after missing the Champions League clash due to suspension.

Wenger is quoted as saying by the Mirror:

“Coming back into the squad we have Coquelin who was suspended, and maybe Bellerin who has a fitness test today.”

It would be a huge boost if the Spaniard is passed fit to face the Potters as Bellerin has been sorely missed over the past month so let’s hope he’s given the all-clear after training today.

Wenger also gave his thoughts on Santi Cazorla’s situation after the midfielder described his surgery as ‘perfect’ yesterday having gone under the knife to cure a troublesome Achilles problem that’s kept him out since mid-October.

The boss acknowledged that the operation went well but was warned that it will be at least two months before Cazorla will be ready to play for the first team again.

Wenger told the Mirror:

“For me it’s to say any surgery is perfect, but you can say it was needed and it went well.

“After you have to see how he recovers. I’m positive he will recovery very quickly, but once you open your body at top level sport it means that it’s two months before you can play again.”

Wenger also gave a brief update on Danny Welbeck and Per Mertesacker, saying that the pair are ‘recovering well’ but are still some weeks away from making their long-awaited comebacks from injury.

Welbeck has been on the sidelines since suffering knee ligament damage towards the end of last season while Mertesacker is yet to feature this campaign after damaging his knee in pre-season.

Both players are back in light training at London Colney as they continue to rebuild their fitness but I’m not expecting either to be available again until the New Year.

Welbeck & Mertesacker "recovering well" but still some weeks away #AFC

— Mark Mann-Bryans (@MarkyMBryans) December 8, 2016