Saka, Zinchenko, Marquinhos: Arsenal injury news and return dates ahead of huge FC Zurich tie

 Saka, Zinchenko, Marquinhos: Arsenal injury news and return dates ahead of huge FC Zurich tie

Arsenal returned to winning ways on Sunday as they overcame Nottingham Forest in a huge 5-0 win to keep them top of the Premier League table. It's a huge boost to their chances as the mid-season World Cup break approaches, but there's still plenty more footballing action to come before then.

Up next is a crucial clash in the Europa League group stages that will confirm the Gunners' fate in the competition as they host FC Zurich at the Emirates Stadium. The North London side can confirm top spot in their group if they match PSV Eindhoven's result, meaning they will skip playing an extra game against one of the sides dropping down from the Champions League.

With a result of such importance, Mikel Arteta may wish to call upon a strong squad with some rotation options at his disposal too. However, injuries continue to mount up for the Spaniard, so here's a look at the latest injury news for the Gunners.

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Bukayo Saka

Saka has featured in all games this season across all competitions, scoring five goals and providing four assists. After being rested from the off on Thursday in Eindhoven, the forward returned to the starting line-up against Nottingham Forest but was unable to continue after receiving a few kicks to his foot and ankle in the first half.

However, he could be back sooner than expected as the Sun reports that he could make a return for the clash against Chelsea at the weekend.

What Arteta has said: “Hopefully not. It was a bad kick," he said. "Right from the beginning he was limping, but I don’t see any further than that. Let’s see how he is in the next couple of days.”

As for where he was injured, Arteta added: “I think both [foot or ankle]. He got kicked a few times and he wasn’t comfortable.”

Expected return date: Unknown

Oleksandr Zinchenko

Zinchenko suffered a knock to his knee in late August before briefly returning to action against Manchester United. He then picked up a calf injury in Arsenal training and has struggled to stay match-fit since. The Ukraine international has missed the Gunners' last eight games, including the Europa League defeat to PSV.

The medical staff are monitoring the versatile defender and will be looking to not give him too much, too soon, concerning his physical workload.

What Arteta has said: "He had a recurring injury in his calf. That's why he's been out for this period."

Expected return date: Unknown.

Marquinhos

Marquinhos was not involved in Thursday night's clash or Sunday's win over Forest. The Brazilian youngster was feeling unwell in the build-up to the PSV game, but made his return to action with the under-21s as they faced Crystal Palace in the Premier League 2.

What Arteta has said: "We had Marquinhos, who wasn't feeling well today and didn't travel. For the rest, we are OK."

Expected return date: Unknown.

Matt Turner

USMNT goalkeeper Turner was expected to keep his place in the Europa League side against PSV, but he was a surprise exclusion from the matchday squad. It was revealed late on that the summer signing was not made available for the game as a precaution for a tight groin.

What Arteta has said: "Matt [Turner] felt something in his groin last night, so we decided to start with Aaron [Ramsdale].

Expected return date: Unknown

Emile Smith Rowe

Arsenal midfielder Emile Smith Rowe has struggled to get his season underway so far, suffering with injury from pre-season before making his return from the bench against Manchester United last month. However, he then got injured in the warm-down at Old Trafford.

The England international has since undergone surgery which is set to keep him on the sidelines for an extended period, with no return date set as of this moment.

What Arteta has said: "That's been an ongoing issue that he's had. He's had some discomfort in the groin area and hasn't had any continuity this season," the Arsenal boss told reporters in a press conference before the 3-0 win over Brentford a couple of weeks ago. "It's something we are trying to assess.

"We're trying to help him as much as possible in any way we can because we need him fit, we need him available, and we need him performing at his best level because he's such an important player for us. Unfortunately, for this period and periods last year, we haven't had him."

Expected return date: Unknown.

Mohamed Elneny

As per Arsenal's official tweet 'look who's back!' Mohamed Elneny hasn't been seen in a training session since the end of August in the build-up to the win over Fulham where he sustained a hamstring injury that has kept him on the sidelines.

Whilst there had been talk of Elneny not returning until after the winter World Cup, he trained ahead of the Nottingham Forest game but was not named in Arteta's matchday squad.

What Arteta has said: "We still need to see another specialist, but I'm afraid we're going to lose Mo for a while.

"Obviously, that has an impact because Thomas is injured, and we are a bit short in that position."

Expected return date: Unknown.