New signing Martin Odegaard could make his second Arsenal debut on Wednesday night as the Gunners take on West Bromwich Albion in the second round of the Carabao Cup in what is an unfamiliar stage of the competition for Mikel Arteta's men.
Arsenal most commonly enter the tournament at the third round stage, but due to their lack of European football this season - they start a round earlier.
Odegaard spent the second half of last term on loan with the Gunners from former parent club Real Madrid, before returning to Spain for pre-season duties.
A permanent switch to Arsenal seemed to be unlikely despite Odegaard's clear affection for the club, but a deal was struck between the two sides last week as the Norwegian returns to North London for good.
He is now in line to make his first appearance since his return on Wednesday night, though he is unlikely to be joined by a number of his teammates who are set to continue their spell on the side-lines.
Fellow new addition Ben White made just one appearance before contracting Covid-19, which in turn kept him out of Sunday's defeat to Chelsea.
The £50m former Brighton & Hove Albion man remains unavailable for selection as Wednesday's clash comes too soon for the 23-year-old.
The same goes for Brazilian winger Willian, who caught the virus prior to Arsenal's opening day defeat away at Brentford and remains unavailable amid speculation he could leave the club for good.
The 33-year-old has only been with the Gunners for one season, but after finding the net just once looks set to call time on his ill-fated stint in North London.
Last summer's marquee signing Thomas Partey has had plenty of injuries to contend with since he joined from Atletico Madrid in a move that cost Arsenal around £45m.
Partey is yet to feature in either of the Gunners opening two fixtures after he sustained an ankle ligament injury during a pre-season clash with Chelsea earlier this month, though Arsenal have confirmed "Thomas is working hard with the medical team and is aiming to be back in training by the end of August."
Eddie Nketiah also picked up an injury in the same game, bruising to his right ankle means he will miss the chance to pick up some crucial first-team minutes at the Hawthorns.
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Nkeitah remains the subject of interest from fellow Premier League side Crystal Palace, though the Eagles are yet to find a fee Arsenal are willing to accept.
Arguably Arsenal's most integral defender in Gabriel Magalhaes will also miss the game as he continues his recovery from a knee injury he sustained while away on international duty with Brazil at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
In better news for Arteta, Alexandre Lacazette is back in contention to start after recovering from Covid-19, while both Kieran Tierney and Gabriel Martinelli are fit to feature after they were both substituted with minor injuries against Chelsea.
