Arteta confirms big boost with 3 Arsenal stars fit to face Fulham

Arsenal have been handed a triple injury boost ahead of the Premier League derby against Fulham on Saturday.

The Gunners have not won in their last two trips to Craven Cottage and will aim to end the streak tomorrow.

Ahead of the game, manager Mikel Arteta has provided some good news on the injury front.

Piero Hincapie was nursing a minor groin injury for the last few weeks, but he has returned to full training ahead of the London derby.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Arteta said: “He will be training today again with us and if everything is right, he will be available.”

Ben White and Martin Zubimendi were absent from training on Thursday, but the manager clarified that their workloads were being managed.

He added on the duo: “We believe that [sitting Zubimendi out] was the right thing to do. He played two games again. His load has been really high recently and he needed an extra day, but he will be available.

“[White] is very similar. We are monitoring all the players and giving a specific menu to each of them to make sure that they are in the best condition.”

Arsenal climbed to the top of the table prior to the international break. Their victory over West Ham United was followed by Liverpool’s defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

As a result, they have a slender one-point advantage ahead of the Reds, and have the opportunity to extend the gap with a victory over the Cottagers in west London.

Arsenal can temporarily move four points ahead of Arne Slot’s side. This would put added pressure on the Reds before they host Manchester United at Anfield on Sunday.

The Merseyside outfit are on a three-match winless run, and United could pile more misery on them.

Arteta could make two changes for tomorrow’s derby. Zubimendi will obviously return in the heart of the midfield, replacing Martin Odegaard, who is out for several weeks with a knee injury.

Gabriel Martinelli could be reinstated on the left wing ahead of Leandro Trossard based on his recent scoring form and his success against Timothy Castagne last term.

In other news, Fulham manager Marco Silva has confirmed that he could be without six key players to face Arsenal amid a major injury crisis.

The post Arteta confirms big boost with 3 Arsenal stars fit to face Fulham first appeared on ArsenalNews.co.uk.