Arsenal welcome Sporting CP to the Emirates Stadium today with a spot in the Europa League quarter-finals up for grabs. The two sides played out a 2-2 draw in Lisbon last week meaning all is to play for in north London.
The Gunners come into the clash on the back of five straight Premier League wins after Sunday's 3-0 victory over Fulham. While the game will be widely remembered for Leandro Trossard's history-making three first-half assists, Gabriel Jesus' return from injury provided a much-needed boost in attack.
"It was great to see him back, you can feel the happiness of everyone, the players and staff around him," the Gunners boss said this week. "We missed him and now he's back.
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"We have to manage his minutes, his involvement in the squad and the team. He's feeling good and every day he's training he says his sensations are getting better and better, so that's really positive."
The Brazilian's comeback significantly softens the recent blow regarding Eddie Nketiah. The Hale End striker has been missing since the 4-0 win over Everton after filling in for Jesus after the World Cup.
Any hopes of Nketiah returning to the Gunners squad before next week's international break were squashed ahead of the Sporting CP clash. Arteta confirmed that the Englishman would remain out for the time being.
"It's getting better. He's still in the [protective] boot," the Gunners boss told the media. "He's still a few weeks away and we need to be patient. It was a nasty injury and he has a big challenge ahead of him. Thank God it's not as bad as it could have been."
Thursday's Europa League second-leg tie with Sporting CP provides an opportunity for Arteta to rotate his squad. Emile Smith Rowe and Jakub Kiwior could be in contention to start in north London, while Martin Odegaard and Leandro Trossard could feature after missing the first leg.
Nketiah joins Mohamed Elneny as the long-term absentees at London Colney.
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