The Premier League weekend kicks off on Saturday with a tasty London derby as Arsenal travel to West Ham. The Gunners are in much ruder health than their hosts, though. Arsenal manager Unai Emery has six players back in contention for the match. The Gunners can call on fit-again Mesut Özil (knee), Laurent Koscielny (back), Hector Bellerin (calf), Konstantinos Mavropanos (groin), Shkodran Mustafi and Nacho Monreal (both hamstring) if required at the London Stadium.
Arsenal provisional squad: Leno, Cech, Martinez, Jenkinson, Lichtsteiner, Bellerin, Koscielny, Papastathopoulos, Mustafi, Mavropanos, Kolasinac, Monreal, Maitland-Niles, Xhaka, Elneny, Torreira, Guendouzi, Ramsey, Iwobi, Ozil, Lacazette, Aubameyang, Nketiah.
As for West Ham, well Fabian Balbuena is the latest addition to Manuel Pellegrini’s lengthening long-term injury list. The Paraguayan defender resumed training this week after a knee problem but suffered a setback and has now undergone surgery which will rule him out for up to eight weeks. And will Marko Arnautovic play after his agent (who happens to be his brother) claimed the striker wants to move to China to “win titles”. Jack Wilshere, Manuel Lanzini, Carlos Sánchez, Andriy Yarmolenko, Winston Reid, Javier Hernández and Ryan Fredericks are all still injured, although the latter pair are due back in training next week.
Provisional squad: Fabianski, Zabaleta, Ogbonna, Diop, Cresswell, Snodgrass, Rice, Noble, Nasri, Anderson, Arnautovic, Adrian, Masuaku, Obiang, Diangana, Antonio, Carroll, Perez, Silva.