After the international break, defenders Riccardo Calafiori and Takehiro Tomiyasu are expected to return to Arsenal.

Calafiori suffered a medial collateral ligament (MCL) injury to his left knee during a Champions League match against Shakhtar in October. In the meantime, Tomiyasu has been battling a number of injuries since relocating to the Emirates Stadium in 2021. The Japanese international’s most recent absence was brought on by a knee injury he sustained in July.

According to the Daily Mail, Calafiori and Tomiyasu should both be available for the Gunners following the current international break. Given that the Gunners have been suffering for form due to a number of injuries, Arteta will benefit greatly by the return of the two. Following surgery earlier this month, Ben White has also been sidelined for an extended amount of time.

Calafiori, White, Tomiyasu, Jurrien Timber, Jakub Kiwior, Oleksandr Zinchenko, and Tierney have all missed games due to injury at least once this season, giving Arsenal a bit of a defensive injury crisis. Only two of the team’s defenders, William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes, have missed games due to injuries.

Arteta will be expecting to see Calafiori and Tomiyasu at least on the bench for Arsenal’s upcoming match against Nottingham Forest on Saturday, November 23, even if it may be a race for them to be totally fit to play.