Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has a lot on his plate as Premier League action resumes after the international break with a London derby against Chelsea.
Not only are bragging rights at stake, but victory for the Gunners will be enough to leapfrog Tottenham Hotspur and go top of the Premier League table - albeit for a couple of days. Furthermore, they would put a dent into the Blues' recent revival under Mauricio Pochettino.
Admittedly, Arsenal's preparations for the game will be somewhat disjointed because of the international break. Arteta has not seen a number of his senior players for the best part of a week and it still remains to be seen what condition they'll be in upon rejoining the rest of the group at London Colney.
All of which adds a level of intrigue to the key decisions facing the Spaniard leading up to the game at Stamford Bridge and here is what we think is on the Gunners manager's agenda for the days ahead.
Fitness checks
Arsenal had three senior players withdraw from international duty. A toe injury prevented William Saliba from joining up with the France squad, although football.londonunderstands the problem isn't thought to be a serious one. Meanwhile, hamstring issues were the reasons for Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard not going away with England and Belgium respectively.
The fact the trio all stayed back at London Colney has allowed for the club's medical staff to closely monitor their progress and make a decision regarding their availability for Saturday and many would expect Saliba to start if fit and Saka to return to the matchday squad if he's OK.Worst-case scenario avoided
At the time of writing, the Gunners have as many as 10 first-team players still involved on international duty; Takehiro Tomiyasu, Karl Hein, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Eddie Nketiah, Aaron Ramsdale, Declan Rice, Gabriel Magalhaes, Gabriel Jesus, Kai Havertz and Thomas Partey.
There is a strong argument that when everyone is fit and available for selection at least half make Arteta's best starting XI, so naturally, he will be hoping to avoid the worst-case scenario and they all come through their respective fixtures unscathed and raring to go at the weekend.
Perhaps this applies to Partey more so. The midfielder has only recently returned to action after a month on the sidelines with a groin problem and he gave some Arsenal fans a scare in Ghana's 2-0 loss to Mexico at the weekend. But the good news is the decision for him to play one half was pre-planned.
"Thomas was always only going to play 45 minutes," Chris Hughton, Ghana's manager, told reporters. "He has been out injured for three to four weeks, he came back for Arsenal last midweek, was on the subs bench for one game and played 20 minutes for the next game. So we knew he was only going to play 45 minutes."
Martinelli decision
Arsenal went into the international break on the back of a 1-0 win over Manchester City. Whilst many observers have been quick to remind Gunners supporters that all they got was three points - which is true - it was a huge psychological victory given they hadn't taken as much as a point off City in 12 previous league meetings.
The hero that afternoon was a returning Gabriel Martinelli. The Brazilian had missed five games in a row across all competitions with a hamstring injury but was fit enough to be named amongst the substitutes. Luckily he was ready to answer the call after Trossard needed to be replaced as he climbed off the bench to net the winnerHe's [Gabriel Martinelli] been saying for a few weeks 'I'm going to be there against City'. Everyone was saying Gabi it will be too early for you," Arteta told reporters when explaining the lengths the winger went to in order to be available. "Yesterday he said 'boss, I told you I’m going to be ready for this'.
"It happened that Leo [Trossard], after 30 minutes, felt something in his hamstring. I turned around and [Martinelli] was ready to go with his kit. 'Boss, I'm ready'. It's the joy of a kid. His mentality is incredible at his age. It's a joy to have him. Today he could change a game and he was really helpful for us to win the game."
Having not gone away with Brazil during the international break, Martinelli has been able to work on his fitness in training and one would imagine he's in contention to start at Stamford Bridge. Whether that's the case is a completely different matter but Arteta's decision could be made easier if Trossard isn't passed fit.
Havertz's best role
Speaking of decisions, what is the best way to ensure Kai Havertz's first return to Chelsea following his £65million summer transfer is a happy one for himself and Arsenal? Does he start in midfield? Lead the line instead of Gabriel Jesus and Nketiah? Or is he better suited to making an impact off the bench?
The latter option certainly worked in the win over Man City and it's something Arteta could look to repeat given his side are away from home against a traditional 'big six' team and he may opt for a more defensive-minded midfield setup. Regardless of Havertz's role on Saturday, he is sure to be the centre of attention.
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