Tzolis nearing return but will miss Everton clash, Arteta confirms
Christos Tzolis is edging closer to full fitness, but Arsenal supporters will have to wait a little longer to see the Greek winger back in action. Mikel Arteta has confirmed the 24 year old will miss Saturday's Premier League clash with Everton, with the timing simply coming too soon in his recovery.
Tzolis has been sidelined since picking up a hamstring injury on international duty, suffered during Greece's 2-2 Nations League draw with Holland in Thessaloniki on October 1. According to football.london, he has been working through his rehabilitation at the Sobha Realty Training Centre but has not yet rejoined full team training with the rest of the squad.
The Friday Injury Tracker
Who's out, who's back and what it means for the next two games.
There is a realistic chance he could be back involved for the trip to Liverpool next weekend, and an outside possibility he features at Fleetwood Town in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night if his progress continues over the coming days. Arsenal are reportedly keen not to rush his return, especially with Bukayo Saka now also out with a quad injury.
Eze and Dowman step up
In Tzolis' continued absence, Eberechi Eze looks set to keep his place on the left flank against Everton. Eze has been in fine form recently, scoring twice in his last three appearances, and appears primed to start once again.
Elsewhere, Max Dowman continues to push for more minutes after netting twice in the 4-2 Carabao Cup win at Ipswich Town in round three. He looks set to start Tuesday's trip to Fleetwood Town as Arsenal look to build on that result.
Hincapie returns to full training
There was better news on the defensive front, with Piero Hincapie back and available for selection against Everton after returning to full team training. The Ecuador international had been working individually on the grass earlier in the week ahead of Arsenal's Champions League draw at Bayern Munich, though he did not travel to Germany for that fixture.
Hincapie's injury stemmed from a bizarre incident during Arsenal's post match warm down on the Emirates pitch following the 2-1 Premier League win over Leeds United, when he suffered an ankle problem. Speaking on Friday, Arteta confirmed his availability: "Piero, he's trained with us and is available for tomorrow as well."
With Saka now sidelined and Tzolis still working his way back, Arsenal's attacking options will be tested in the coming weeks, but the returns of Hincapie and, soon, Tzolis offer encouraging signs for Arteta's squad depth heading into a busy run of fixtures.
