Arsenal face a crunch showdown with rivals Tottenham this weekend, but they’ve been handed positive news on the injury front.
The north London rivals clash in the early kick off on Saturday, with the Gunners knowing that a win at Wembley would move them to within just a point of Spurs in third place.
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With that in mind, it really does emphasise how important this fixture could be, and so Unai Emery will have been hoping for a boost in terms of injury news.
Based on Arsenal’s update on Friday morning, as noted in freelance injury analyst Ben Dinnery’s tweet below, they have confirmed that both Laurent Koscielny and Stephan Lichtsteiner are back in full training and so their experience and quality could be crucial either in the starting line-up or off the bench.
Further, Sead Kolasinac was replaced in the win over Bournemouth in midweek, but given that there is nothing added on his status, that would suggest that he will be available for selection too.
Arsenal have been leaky at the back this season, conceding 38 goals in just 28 league games, giving them the worst defensive record of the top seven sides.
While the individuals noted above have played regularly and haven’t been able to tighten things up, having them available with the experience that they have will surely be seen as a positive thing by Emery and the majority of supporters.
Time will tell though if they can make a decisive difference in the game, with Arsenal desperate to cement their place in fourth spot and continue to pile the pressure on Tottenham who have stumbled in recent weeks to allow the chasing pack to catch up.
Koscielny (knee) & Lichtsteiner (back) are training as normal. No fresh injury concerns for Arsenal which means Kolasinac, who was withdrawn as a precaution on Wednesday night, is fine. Welbeck, Bellerin & Holding are the only players unavailable. #AFC
— Ben Dinnery (@BenDinnery) March 1, 2019
