Arsenal Injury News: Kieran Gibbs Set for Burnley Return after Recovering from Hip Injury

Kieran Gibbs is expected to be back for Arsenal's Premier League game against Burnley this weekend, according to the Daily Mail.

The defender was projected out for a long time owing to a hip injury he picked up during their game against Sunderland for which he had to be substituted in the middle of the game. However, the setback has not been deemed serious, giving Arsene Wenger some much needed respite, in what has been an injury plagued season for the 65-year-old.

The Gunners currently have Laurent Koscielny and Mathieu Debuchy out for the long term, with Koscielny having an Achilles issue and Debuchy involved in an unfortunate accident which ruptured his ankle ligaments. Calum Chambers is currently deployed at right-back while Nacho Monreal has been taken off his left-back duties to be stationed at centre-back alongside Per Mertesacker.

An injury to Gibbs would have brought the Gunners down to their bare bones, with 19-year-old Hector Bellerin having to come in at right-back to cover for Chambers. Chambers would have to move to centre-back, thus allowing Monreal to shift back to his preferred position. Wenger's failure to replenish his back line in the summer has had dire consequences and may cost the Gunners a Champions league spot.

Lack of cohesion at the back has cost Arsenal a lot of goals this season already, with Wenger specifically stating that they are four points behind where they should be at this point in the campaign.

The Gunners host Burnley on Saturday as they look to bring their campaign back on track and close the gap on Chelsea, who are currently nine points ahead in the race for the title. Theo Walcott is back after recovering from an anterior cruciate ligament injury he suffered in January this year but is likely to be eased into the squad in phases to prevent any muscle injuries.