Arsenal Team News & Injury Latest: Wenger Gives Update On Cazorla & Arteta

Arsenal get back to Premier League action this weekend as they welcome Stoke City to the Emirates Stadium on Sunday lunchtime.

Ahead of the game boss Arsene Wenger has given Arsenal.com a team news and injury update with the latest news on the fitness of Mikel Arteta and Santi Cazorla.

Arteta has not featured yet this season after injuring his thigh just before the season opener against Aston Villa last month but he’s now on the verge of a first team comeback after returning to full training today.

Wenger confirmed that the experienced midfielders fitness will be assessed on Saturday before a decision is made over his involvement against Stoke.

However, there is less positive news on fellow Spaniard Santi Cazorla with the Arsenal boss confirming the playmaker is still three weeks away from full fitness. Cazorla picked up an ankle injury while on international duty earlier this month but is now likely to be on the sidelines until after the next international break.

That would see him miss the next five games with a potential return being made against Norwich on the 19th October. Here’s what Wenger old Arsenal.com.

on the team news after Marseille in midweek…

The news we have after the game is quite positive. Mikel Arteta is coming back in the squad maybe. He’s back in full training today so we’ll have to assess how ready he is until Sunday. He could be in the squad.

on Arteta’s return being a boost…

Of course because at the moment, in midfield and upfront, we are short.

on who’s next on the list to come back…

I think the next one that will be back after that is Cazorla. It’s difficult to assess but maybe that is three weeks away.

Arteta’s return is a huge boost as Arsenal’s squad is being stretched to it’s limit by injuries at present. As well as Cazorla, the likes of Abou Diaby, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Lukas Podolski and Tomas Rosicky are all currently on the treatment table leaving Arsene Wenger with very little room for maneuver when it comes to rotating his team.

But it remains to be seen whether Arteta will come straight back into the starting eleven if he’s passed fit, as both Aaron Ramsey and Mathieu Flamini have been forming impressive partnership in recent weeks.

Do you think Arteta should start if he’s passed fit? Share your views below.