"Zubi is much, much better. Piero is improving, but as I said, he looks more significant," Mikel Arteta told goal.com ahead of Arsenal's trip to Nottingham Forest. Martín Zubimendi missed Tuesday’s Champions League win over Lille after an ankle injury in training following the victory against Leeds last weekend, but Arsenal hope to have him available for Sunday. Piero Hincapié is on the longer timeline, with Arteta saying it will be a matter of weeks.

Zubimendi's fitness gives Arsenal something useful

Zubimendi's numbers help explain why Arsenal want him back quickly. He has made 5 Premier League appearances and played 98 Premier League minutes so far, which is not much time to settle into a midfield role. His Premier League rating is 6.56, so this is not just about adding a body to the squad. It is about getting a player who has already shown he can help Arsenal control games.

Arteta also kept the focus on the weekend. "I think the beautiful challenge is going to be against Forest away and we need to make sure we are ready for that one," he said. That is the immediate test, with Nottingham Forest already dealing with their own selection issues.

Forest's own team news

Forest boss Oliver Glasner said Morgan Gibbs-White is doubtful after a minor muscle injury at Palace. He could not train the entire week, though he had an individual session with rehab coaches and may join tomorrow’s session. Glasner also said Nikola Milenković trained for the first time today, while Chris Wood was not part of the update.

Forest will still miss Nikola Milenković and Igor Jesus. Morgan Gibbs-White has 5 Premier League goals for Forest this season, and his 6.95 rating shows why the doubt around him is a problem for a side already carrying only 5 points from 6 league matches.

Arteta also swerved questions about Arsenal's 60 planned job cuts, saying, "This question is not for me." He added that the exercise was explained to him as part of an effort "to evolve and to improve." Arsenal are second in the Premier League with 15 points from 6 games, and on Sunday the football side of the conversation should matter more than the off-field noise.

The main injury call is still Zubimendi. If he gets through the final checks, Arsenal get a midfield boost before Nottingham Forest vs Arsenal on Sunday, while Hincapié remains a longer wait.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 4 outlets. How we work →