Mikel Arteta confirms shock Arsenal injury boost ahead of Chelsea Premier League clash
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Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta (Picture: Getty) Mikel Arteta has confirmed that Jurrien Timber could be involved for Arsenal when they host Chelsea in the Premier League on Sunday. Timber has not played a competitive match since coming off the bench in the Champions League final in May, in what were his first minutes since mid-March. The Netherlands defender subseqeuently missed the World Cup, and underwent surgery on the groin problem that had plagued him for several months. Timber has now returned to first-team training with Arsenal following the start of the season, but was not expected to be available for selection until later on in the month. Exclusive Premier League previews Get ahead of the start of the season with our weekly football newsletter. Sign up now for free. However, speaking in his pre-match press conference on Friday, Arteta confirmed the 25-year-old could feature against London rivals Chelsea at the weekend. ‘He’s in really good condition at the moment,’ Arteta said of Timber. ‘He’s been training with us now, he’s in a good place.’ Asked if Timber could face Chelsea, Arteta replied: ‘We will decide again tomorrow after training.’ Jurrien Timber has returned to first-team training (Picture: Getty) {"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Arteta hints at surprise injury boost before Arsenal face Chelsea","contentUrl":"https:\/\/videos.metro.co.uk\/video\/met\/2026\/09\/04\/377782006283025146\/480x270_MP4_377782006283025146.mp4","description":"The lesser-spotted Jurrien Timber got a 'we will decide tomorrow' from his manager.","duration":"T15M43S","height":270,"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i.dailymail.com\/1s\/2026\/09\/04\/14\/111053691-0-image-a-49_1788529672703.jpg","uploadDate":"2026-09-04T14:50:04+0100","width":480} To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Up Next Previous Page Next Page window.addEventListener('metroVideo:relatedVideosCarouselLoaded', function(data) { if (typeof(data.detail) === 'undefined' || typeof(data.detail.carousel) === 'undefined' || typeof(data.detail.carousel.el_) === 'undefined') { return; } var player = data.detail.carousel.el_; var container = player.closest('.metro-video-player'); var placeholder = container.querySelector('.metro-video-player__up-next-placeholder'); if (placeholder) { container.removeChild(placeholder); container.classList.add('metro-video-player--related-videos-loaded'); } }); There was also positive news for Bruno Guimaraes, who made a brief substitute appearance against Aston Villa but was not pictured in training on Thursday. ‘He had a knock against Villa in the previous game,’ Arteta said. ‘He’s been assessed, but probably tomorrow he will be OK to train.’ However, there is more uncertainty over the fitness of Cristhian Mosquera, who was replaced by Ezri Konsa midway through the second half at Villa Park on Monday. Bruno Guimaraes could be fit to feature on Sunday (Picture: Getty) ‘It was more precaution than anything else,’ Arteta added. ‘We have to see tomorrow in the session how he feels.’ Should Mosquera miss out, Konsa could be set for his first Arsenal start since joining the club for £51million towards the end of the summer window. Elsewhere, Arsenal’s opponents, Chelsea, could be without influential midfielder Moises Caicedo after he picked up a fresh injury in the 4-3 win over Brighton last Sunday. ‘We will check tomorrow. Tomorrow is the last session for the squad on Sunday,’ Alonso said. ‘We need to not worry about the things that happen,’ he added. ‘We will make the final decision tomorrow.’ For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source
