With the international break finally coming to an end, all focus shifts back to the top European leagues, namely the Premier League, which returns to action this Saturday.
The upcoming weekend will usher in Matchweek 9 in the English top-flight, with this round getting off to the best possible start as the always-heated North London Derby gets things underway.
Arsenal host bitter rivals Tottenham in the earliest fixture as the Gunners look to put an end to their opponents' unbeaten start. Meanwhile, Spurs, who trail the home side by a single point, could leapfrog Arteta's men in the standings and possibly go top of the table depending on Manchester City's result against Manchester United.
One of the biggest worries for the current Premier League leaders heading into this tie, outside of Tottenham's form, is injuries. A host of key Emirates Stadium players picked up knocks either right before the break or while on international duty.
Oleksandr Zinchenko and Martin Odegaard were unavailable for Arsenal's 3-0 victory Brentford while Thomas Partey, Kieran Tierney, and Takehiro Tomiyasu all suffered issues while on national team duty.
However, despite this, the north London giants are confident of having all of those men back and available for the upcoming showdown with Tottenham. This is according to Football London reporter Kaya Kaynak, writing that the home side are hopeful of having Partey, Zinchenko, and Tomiyasu back as they were the three major concerns.
The aforementioned Ghanaian has struggled with injuries throughout his time with the Gunners and had already missed about a month of action before picking up a slight knee issue during the break. However, the former Atletico man was released by the Black Stars early and could be back in training this week, as per Goal.
Zinchenko, meanwhile, did not join up with the Ukrainian national team and instead remained at London Colney for rehabilitation. Odegaard, on the other hand, joined up with Norway despite missing the Brentford tie and featured in his country's two UEFA Nations League outings, meaning he is fit and ready to go.
And then we have Tierney, another injury-prone Arsenal talent who picked up a concern. The Scottish left-back, however, endured a head injury and returned to England earlier than usual. Despite this, he too is expected to get the green light.
However, Emile Smith Rowe, who scored a goal and assist another in the memorable 3-1 North London Derby win when they last hosted Spurs, will sit this one out due to injury, as will Portuguese right-back Cedric Soares.
