Mikel Arteta and Arsenal return to action this weekend knowing that there is no more margin for error when it comes to the title race.
The Gunners have been plagued by injury this term and headed into the international break some nine points behind the Premier League’s early pace-setters, Liverpool, at the summit after failing to beat Chelsea.
And with lots riding on their meeting with Nottingham Forest – who sit one place below Arsenal in fifth as the league’s surprise package – the last thing Arteta needed was an injury to Leandro Trossard, who limped off in Belgium’s loss against Israel.
Ahead of the build-up to Saturday’s big match, Mirror Football will keep you up to date with all the latest news from in and around the Emirates…
Oleksandr Zinchenko has shed light on the extreme lengths Mikel Arteta has gone to in a bid to hide team news from Arsenal’s opponents.
The Gunners boss is known for keeping his cards close to his chest when it comes to injury news: he attempted to catch Liverpool cold in their recent meeting by starting Bukayo Saka – who went on to score early in the game – after seeming to talk down the England star’s chances of featuring following an injury.
But Arteta’s secret tactics have been shared by Zinchenko, who revealed the Spaniard often gets injured players to travel with the squad to throw their opposition off.
