After the opening games of the 2024/25 Premier League season, the first international break of the campaign is upon us.
Arsenal end the first segment of the season with seven points from their opening three Premier League games. The Gunners came out victorious in their first two matches before having to settle for a point against Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday.
Mikel Arteta’s side took the lead through Kai Havertz, but midfielder Declan Rice was shown a controversial second yellow card just after the break. Brighton were able to make the man advantage count with Joao Pedro pulling them level just before the hour mark.
While there is now a two week break, the Premier League returns with a bang for Arsenal with them making the short journey to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the North London derby. The red card against Brighton means that Rice will miss the match through suspension.
But Arteta could potentially have another player returning from injury for the game. Here is a look at the latest news from the treatment room as we go into the international break.
Mikel Merino
Injury : Shoulder
What Arteta has said : “We have to see. He was in so much pain,” Arteta said on Friday. “We’ll have to do some more tests on that and then we’ll have more conclusive answers.”
Potential return date : Unknown
Declan Rice
Reason for absence : Suspension
After being shown two yellow cards in the 1-1 draw against Brighton, the midfielder will serve a one-match suspension. It means that he will miss the North London derby after the international break.
Return date : Vs Bolton (A) Carabao Cup
Takehiro Tomiyasu
Injury : Knee
What Arteta has said : “At the moment, it is difficult to say [when he will return]. It’s a bit slow the process of the first phase of that injury,” he said on Friday. “It’s probably for the medical team to say more than that. He’s not done any training yet.”
Potential return date : Unknown
Gabriel Jesus
Injury : Groin
What Arteta has said : “He’s progressing really well. He had a muscle injury, and he’s doing quite a lot of the stuff already, so we expect him to be with us really soon.”
Potential return date : Vs Tottenham (A), Sun 15 September
Kieran Tierney
Injury : Hamstring
What Arteta has said : “(He) will be a few weeks behind still”. (August 16).
Potential return date : Unknown
