adminArsenal’s manager Mikel Arteta is feeling “positively” that the Gunners will see the return of several undisclosed injured players for Saturday’s Premier League match against Burnley at Turf Moor.
The Gunners are heading to Lancashire following their stunning 6-0 victory over West Ham United last weekend, marking their biggest Premier League away win to date and their largest league win on the road in their history.
By scoring six goals against West Ham without conceding, Arsenal also erased their goal difference deficit to Manchester City, who now only have a better goal difference than the Gunners based on goals scored, despite having played one less match.
Arsenal are still two points behind Liverpool at the top of the table, but they managed to defeat West Ham without the services of seven regular first-team players, including Emile Smith Rowe, Gabriel Jesus, Oleksandr Zinchenko, and Takehiro Tomiyasu.
Jesus has missed two matches due to a new knee issue, which Arteta previously stated would not take more than a few days to heal, while Zinchenko sustained another calf injury in the 3-1 win over Liverpool two weekends ago.
Meanwhile, Smith Rowe was absent from the squad at the London Stadium after injuring his ankle in training, and Tomiyasu’s return from the Asian Cup was delayed due to a minor injury.
Without mentioning names, Arteta told reporters at his pre-match press conference that there is optimism about the return of some players for the weekend’s trip to Burnley, suggesting that the aforementioned quartet could all have a chance of playing.
“Some of them have been progressing better than others. We have another training session today, and some of them have done a few things this week, and I’m positive that hopefully we’re going to get a few back for tomorrow,” Arteta said, also confirming that none had been ruled out.
However, the North London giants are sure to be without their three known long-term absentees, including Jurrien Timber, who is still several weeks away from returning to full training after suffering an ACL injury in August.
Thigh injury victim Thomas Partey had returned to training with his teammates at London Colney before suffering a setback, but Arteta also provided an encouraging update on the Ghanaian, who has been sidelined since October.
“No, there have been no major setbacks with any of the other injuries, and Thomas Partey is also progressing very well. I don’t want to say too much, but he’s looking very good and he’s already on the field,” the Spaniard added.
Finally, Fabio Vieira is still recovering from the groin surgery he underwent in November, but a report earlier this week suggested that the Portuguese midfielder is aiming to return for next week’s Champions League last-16 tie against his former club Porto.
When asked if Vieira was on track to face his old team, Arteta confirmed the positive news and revealed that he is ahead of schedule in his recovery, saying: “There is a chance, yes.
“He’s very close. He’s already been training with the team for a few days. So I think it’s very close. He’ll probably be back faster than we expected, and he’s in a good place.”
Vieira’s most recent senior appearance for Arsenal came in their 3-1 victory over Burnley at the Emirates on November 11, where he was sent off just 24 minutes after coming off the bench.
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