"Not yet": Arteta says £118m Arsenal duo could now miss Sunday's game vs Chelsea

Arsenal take on London rivals Chelsea in Sunday’s Premier League clash at Stamford Bridge.

The Gunners are unbeaten in the last seven meetings against the Blues with five wins and two draws.

They will be eyeing another victory this weekend to extend their six-point lead at the top of the table.

Ahead of the derby, manager Mikel Arteta was asked plenty of questions in his pre-match presser.

A couple of those were centred on the fitness of centre-forward duo Viktor Gyokeres and Kai Havertz.

Arteta initially said that the club have another training session tomorrow, and the pair will be assessed.

He said via (Hayters TV): “Yeah, we have another day tomorrow, so let’s see how everybody’s doing.”

Towards the end of the presser, the Spaniard was asked about the results of the rescan and whether the duo would be available to return to action soon.

In response, Arteta added that they are ‘not yet’ ready, but are getting closer and closer.

He added: “Clear not yet, but they are getting closer and closer, so we are very positive with both of them. The good thing is that now we find another option.”

Meanwhile, Leandro Trossard has a ‘potential chance‘ to make the game after a minor injury scare, but Gabriel Magalhaes and Gabriel Jesus are expected to miss out on the London derby too.

Magalhaes is sidelined for another few weeks after a thigh injury on international duty. Arteta said Jesus is ‘very, very close at the moment’, but wants to avoid any setbacks for him after a long injury lay-off of 11 months.

Gyokeres & Havertz may not be involved vs Chelsea

Gyokeres had a relatively good start to his Arsenal career with six goals from 14 appearances in all competitions before suffering a hamstring injury against Burnley on the road.

It was anticipated that the Sweden international would return for the north London derby, but it appears he has not fully recovered yet and may need some more time on the training pitch.

Kai Havertz suffered a knee injury in the curtain-raiser at Manchester United this season. He recently had a ‘relapse‘ and Arsenal may want to handle him with extra caution.

In our view, Gyokeres is likely to make his comeback before Havertz. Judging by Arteta’s update, the duo, valued at £118 million by Transfermarkt, may not make the matchday squad altogether.

Mikel Merino has fared impressively as an emergency striker with nine goals and four assists from 20 appearances in the role. The Spaniard is poised to lead the line against the Blues this weekend.

The 29-year-old scored the winner in a 1-0 win over Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium earlier this year with a fine header. He could be a genuine scoring threat from set-pieces on Sunday.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com

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