Quantcast
Home   >   News   >   Team news: Arsenal boss confirms triple injury boost ahead of Palace clash

Team news: Arsenal boss confirms triple injury boost ahead of Palace clash

By on January 18, 2018

Laurent-Koscielny arsenal

Arsene Wenger has provided a team news update ahead of Arsenal’s Premier League clash with Crystal Palace and three key players are set to return for the game.

Laurent Koscielny has missed the last four games after aggravating an Achilles injury against West Brom on New Years Eve but the centre-back is expected to return to the squad on Saturday.

Nacho Monreal hasn’t featured since the draw with Liverpool before Christmas due to an ankle injury but the Spanish defender is also set to be available for the visit of Palace this weekend.

In a triple boost, Mesut Ozil is also in-line to return to action after missing the last two games against Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth with a knee injury.

However, Ainsley Maitland-Niles is a doubt for this weekend’s game due to flu while Olivier Giroud is still a week away from returning from a hamstring injury that’s kept him out for over a month.

Wenger told Arsenal.com:

on the latest team news…
From the last game at Bournemouth, we have some uncertainties with Maitland-Niles, who was sick yesterday with flu. We should have Koscielny back, we should have Monreal back available for Saturday. Maybe Ozil will be back as well. That’s the good news.

on Giroud…
Olivier Giroud is one week away.

The return of Koscielny and Monreal will strengthen our defence and it’s safe to say we need to judging by how poorly we defended during the defeat to Bournemouth last weekend.

Obviously the return of Ozil will also be a huge boost as we’ve lacked creativity without him so fingers crossed he’s passed fit to start on Saturday.