Zubimendi close to Arsenal return, Hincapie still sidelined, says Arteta

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta provided injury updates for four of his first-team players ahead of their upcoming Premier League match against Nottingham Forest. The champions aim to maintain their strong position in the league table, currently trailing leaders Manchester City. However, Arteta will be without at least four key players for the Forest clash.

Piero Hincapie, Martin Zubimendi, Christos Tzolis and William Saliba are the four Arsenal players who will miss the game. Arteta stated that Piero is progressing well and will require additional time to return to full fitness. He predicted that the Chilean midfielder will need a further week or two before he is ready to play again.

For Zubimendi, the reports are positive, as he showed marked improvement during today's training session. The manager will assess the situation further in tomorrow's session to determine if he will be available for the Forest match.

Tzolis has been undergoing an MRI scan to monitor the progress of his injury. The results of the scan are encouraging, with the scan indicating that the recovery is moving along smoothly. Arteta hopes that the Turkish midfielder can be back in action within a few weeks. Regarding William Saliba, Arteta also expressed optimism. He plans to conduct another MRI scan for the French centre-back to evaluate the healing process.

Based on the preliminary findings, it appears that Saliba is responding well to treatment and should be fit for the upcoming fixture.