Arsenal injuries and return dates ahead of Tottenham, including Martin Odegaard, Mikel Merino and Riccardo Calafiori

Arsenal are now preparing to face Tottenham in the first North London derby of the season with the international break winding to a close. The Gunners have enjoyed a strong start to far, picking up seven points from te first nine available, but form plays little part in derbies.

Mikel Arteta’s men will be hoping to make a statement at Spurs, and they will need to if they want to keep pace with the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City. Injuries won’t help, though, with Arsenal already having plenty of them despite the season remaining very premature. Here we run you through the latest on the Gunners injuries.

Mikel Merino

Possible return date: October 20

Merino picked up a shoulder injury in one of his early Arsenal training sessions. The issue will render him unavailable until deep into October.

Takehiro Tomiyasu

Possible return date: September 28

Tomiyasu picked up a knee injury during pre-season that will keep him out until the end of the month or just before, depending on his recovery.

Declan Rice (Suspended)

Return date: September 19

Rice was sent off through two yellow cards last time out and that will see him miss the North London derby through suspension. He will be eligible to return after that game.

Gabriel Jesus

Possible return date: September 15

Jesus picked up a groin injury late last month but his recovery has been quicker than expected. There is a chance he could return in time for the derby, but Arsenal will need to decide whether to take the risk with a long season ahead and limited depth at the top end of the pitch.

Riccardo Calafiori

Possible return date: September 15

It’s a similar story with new signing Calafiori, who is working through a lower leg injury. He will be hoping to return in time for this weekend, although he is likely to start on the bench in an case.

Kieran Tierney

Possible return date: Unknown

It’s unclear whether Arteta will reintegrate Tierney back into his squad this season, but the Scot is said to be back in individual training after his summer hamstring injury. His return date is unclear given hamstrings are notoriously difficult to return from.

Martin Odegaard

Possible return date: To be confirmed Odegaard sprained his ankle during international duty with Norway. Norway’s team doctor Ola Sand has said: “He got a small ankle sprain. We will see, maybe we use ultrasound to look at it. If we are unsure, there will be an MRI tomorrow." Odegaard’s return will depend on the grade of the sprain, but it’s likely it will be a couple of weeks as a minimum.