Arsenal latest: Premier League points target set by boss and Gunners' injury boost confirmed

Arsenal have been set a Premier League points target as Mikel Arteta provides an injury update

Arsenal are poised to resume their Premier League campaign as the title race gets back underway this weekend. The Gunners are gearing up to welcome Bournemouth to the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.

The early afternoon fixture offers Mikel Arteta's team the chance to establish a 12-point advantage over Manchester City, who will have two matches in hand. Arsenal will be keen to seize the opportunity to increase the pressure on Pep Guardiola's outfit before their journey to Chelsea on Sunday.

The Gunners are buoyed following their midweek victory against Sporting CP in the opening leg of their Champions League quarter-final encounter. Arteta has added to the positivity surrounding the team by confirming that Eberechi Eze is available to feature against Bournemouth.

However, the Arsenal manager was more guarded when pressed for updates on other squad members. Here, football.london examines some of the stories surrounding the club.

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Premier League points target set

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has outlined the points total his team need to claim the Premier League crown, laying down the gauntlet for Arsenal. The champions currently trail the Gunners by nine points, albeit with a match in hand, and could see that deficit widen before their next fixture.

"We have to win every single game," Guardiola said. "Hopefully we can get a lot of points. The situation we are in in the Premier League, we need to get all of them otherwise it will not give us a chance to try until the end.

"We need to get a lot of points. We have not been consistent enough in the season. We have dropped points that we should have taken, which is why we are now in the position where we cannot do it differently."

Should City triumph in their remaining eight fixtures, including a home encounter with Arsenal later this month, Guardiola's side would reach 85 points. The Gunners can surpass that figure, even accounting for a possible defeat to City, by securing five victories and one draw from their six other remaining matches.

A further five wins might prove sufficient for Arsenal to conclude their title drought on goal difference, assuming their rivals claim victory in every fixture. Furthermore, a favourable outcome against City on April 19 would further damage City's aspirations.

Mikel Arteta confirms injury boost

The Arsenal boss has revealed that Eberechi Eze is ready to take on the Cherries on Saturday. The 27-year-old had been absent with a calf problem but rejoined training earlier this week.

When questioned about Eze's condition, Arteta said: "He is available. My first conversation with him after felt that niggle he wanted to be available the next week. That was not possible. The recovery, the way he has shown to get back, the way he has pushed."

However, the Spanish manager appeared to engage in some gamesmanship when discussing the fitness of other squad members. Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka, Piero Hincapie, Riccardo Calafiori and Jurrien Timber were all absent from Thursday's training session, though Arteta gave a coy response.

He said: "Yes, there have been changes there since yesterday." When asked which of the players might be available to face Bournemouth, Arteta added: "I don't know. Some of them."