KEY POINTS

  • Hector Bellerin missed the clash against Ludogorets after a minor incident in training.
  • Theo Walcott and Nacho Monreal have missed the last two games due to minor injuries.

Arsenal received a triple injury boost ahead of the north London derby against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday (6 November) after Theo Walcott, Nacho Monreal and Hector Bellerin were pictured training with the first-team on Thursday (3 November). Arsene Wenger had confirmed the former two will have fitness tests before being given the all clear to play in the derby, but their return to training is a sign that the duo could return to starting XI after having missed the last two games.

Bellerin, on the other hand, should be involved after the French manager confirmed that his omission from the squad that travelled to Bulgaria was just precautionary and if they wanted to force the issue, he could have played against Ludogorets.

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"Hector has a test. I left him behind [in midweek] because I was cautious with him. We could have basically forced the issue, he could have played maybe in Bulgaria but he should be alright [for Sunday]," Wenger said during his pre-match press conference on Thursday, as quoted on Arsenal's official site.

Santi Cazorla, however, is unlikely to make the squad for the clash against Tottenham after the Gunners' boss revealed that the midfielder had not practised yet with the team. Ramsey started his first game in over two months against Ludogorets and has declared himself fit for the game against Spurs.

Wenger also chose to give the players who played the entirety of the Champions League game on Tuesday (1 November) an added break as regular first-team members Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil, Laurent Koscielny and Shkodran Mustafi were absent from training on Thursday.

Theo Walcott
Theo Walcott is likely to return to the Arsenal first-team for the visit of Tottenham on Sunday (6 November) Getty Images

Arsenal are on a 15-game unbeaten run in all competitions and Wenger will be keen to maintain the momentum when they take on their north London rivals. Tottenham, meanwhile, are the only unbeaten team in the Premier League at the moment, but have suffered two losses in the Champions League with the latest being on Wednesday at Wembley against Bayer Leverkusen, while they have also failed to taste victory in six straight games in all competitions.

Premier League Tottenham Arsene Wenger