Latest Arsenal injury news as five set to miss Nottingham Forest clash amid Martin Odegaard hope

All thoughts will soon be focused on the Emirates Stadium where Arsenal will expect to get their Premier League title chase back on track.

After being scythed down by Dominik Szoboszlai's extraordinary free-kick, Mikel Arteta's side cannot afford to lose any more ground to Liverpool. The loss to the Merseysiders left fans of the north Londoners deflated, particularly as Arteta's men were often in the ascendency.

Arsenal will be without a large number of key players when Ange Postecoglou brings his recently inherited Nottingham Forest side to the home of the Gunners. Looking ahead to the clash on Saturday lunch-time, football.london takes a look at the latest updates on the squad.

Ben White has missed the last two games through injury, but reports from the London Evening Standard claim he is pushing hard for a return this weekend. The versatile defender is understood to be targeting a place in Arteta's squad for the clash against Forest.

But with other huge games on the horizon, a Champions League clash against Athletic Club and the visit of Manchester City, the outlet reports it's highly likely Arteta will not use him in order to preserve his recovery. The injuries are piling up in the defensive department with William Saliba also expected to miss the next few weeks after twisting his ankle in the warm-up before facing Liverpool.

This could mean a first Premier League start will be given either to Cristhian Mosquera or £42m arrival from Bayer Leverkusen Piero Hincapie. With Jurrien Timber, Riccardo Calafiori and Myles Lewis-Skelly all currently fit, there are still enough players Arteta can choose, without risking White's fitness.

Many Arsenal fans may have been unnerved by news Lewis-Skelly was left out of the England squad which will face Serbia in the World Cup qualifiers. While lots of supporters may have presumed this was due to an injury, it was actually a result of FIFA rules forbidding countries from naming a squad which is more than 23 players.

Considering the physicality of the Serbians and the hostile atmosphere in Belgrade, Arsenal fans may breathe a sigh of relief knowing the 18-year-old will not be on the field. In further good news, Martin Odegaard explained he is now over the shoulder injury he suffered during the 5-0 victory over Leeds United.

He was named on the bench for the clash against Liverpool, before coming on in the final 20 minutes. While many were worried the shoulder injury was affecting his game, the skipper has made it clear it's no longer bothering him.

During the international break, where he started in a friendly for Norway against Finland and will likely play a role in their World Cup qualifier against Moldova, Odegaard said: "It hurt a lot, but now I got it under control and I feel ready.

"It was never an issue. I talk a lot with Stale Solbakken (Norway’s manager). The club obviously wanted me for Liverpool, and my only job was to get ready."

Meanwhile, the Forest clash will come too soon for Bukayo Saka, whose hamstring injury to his left was deemed to be less severe than the one to his right leg, which required surgery last season. Arteta is hoping he will be fit to face Manchester City on September 21, but this is an ambitious aspiration.

Kai Havertz will also miss the match after undergoing surgery on an injury he suffered against United, while Gabriel Jesus is not expected to be ready until January.

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