Declan Rice is set to be available when Arsenal host Leeds United on Saturday. The England midfielder was withdrawn from Thomas Tuchel’s squad for the current international window for rest rather than with a fresh injury.
Kai Havertz is a tighter call. The forward was substituted in Germany’s Nations League draw with the Netherlands after a challenge from Quinten Timber, brother of Arsenal defender Jurrien, and returned to the club’s training base at London Colney for scans.
The DFB described the problem as a muscle strain rather than a tear, and Leeds on 10 October is being treated as a target rather than a selection until further testing confirms the picture.
Tzolis facing roughly three weeks out
The most awkward update of the break concerns Christos Tzolis. The summer signing from Club Brugge pulled up with a right hamstring issue 18 minutes into Greece’s 2-2 Nations League draw with the Netherlands on 2 October, and left the national-team camp to be assessed by Arsenal’s medical staff.
Read also: Dani Olmo’s agent reveals where Barcelona star wants to retire
Greece head coach Ivan Jovanovic took him off as a precaution.
“I told him to get out, because I suspected that he wouldn’t have done that if he hadn’t felt something,” Jovanovic said.
Reports put the Greek winger on the sidelines for around 20 days. That would rule him out of the Leeds fixture, the Champions League home tie with Lille on 13 October and the Premier League trip to Nottingham Forest on 18 October.
Bayern Munich a step too soon
Tzolis is described as a major doubt for the Champions League matchday-three tie away to Bayern Munich on 21 October, with the home game against Everton on 24 October a more realistic return date.
Read also: Bruno Fernandes: ‘I hope to send Solskjær a message that is good for me, not for him’
Tzolis had featured in all five of Arsenal’s Premier League matches so far this season, and Eberechi Eze is the likeliest beneficiary on the left while he is out.
Longer-term absentee William Saliba is targeting a return after the November international break, with surgery on his back problem ruled out in July.
Kick-off at the Allianz Arena is at 9pm local time on Wednesday 21 October, with Arsenal’s away allocation of 3,794 tickets already sold out.
Read also: Barcelona turned down £24m for Rashford. His £325,000 wage is why no one else is coming
