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With their Premier League title chase facing questions of long-term viability, Arsenal hope to turn around their fortunes with a Champions League visit to Club Brugge on Wednesday.
The Gunners suffered a 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa over the weekend, dropping their lead atop the domestic standings to just two points.
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Along with the competitive blow came a number of injury issues which has complicated Arsenal's push forward towards the festive season.
Despite the troublesome outlook from a fitness perspective, the Gunners are still the only team sporting a perfect record through five Champions League matches, sitting atop the league phase table having collected the maximum 15 points thus far.
AllSportsPeople runs through the latest team news and injury updates for both sides as the match draws nearer.
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Arsenal lineup today vs. Club Brugge: Confirmed starting XI
Formation: 4-3-3
Raya (GK)
White, Norgaard, Hincapie, Lewis-Skelly
Odegaard, Zubimendi, Merino
Madueke, Gyokeres, Martinelli
Arsenal team news
With William Saliba and Gabriel both out injured and Jurrien Timber also not involved, Christian Norgaard starts as a makeshift centre-back alongside Piero Hincapie.
Viktor Gyokeres has come off the bench in each of the last two matches as he works back to full fitness and is considered ready to replace Mikel Merino up front.
Leandro Trossard and Declan Rice did not train ahead of the match and are rested for to nurse minor issues. Noni Madueke gets a spot start in place of Eberechi Eze, who has been heavily leaned on in recent months, while Myles Lewis-Skelly steps in for Riccardo Calafiori who wasn't moving well by the end of their weekend defeat.
Arsenal decided to register Gabriel Jesus on the Champions League roster in the wake of injuries to Max Dowman and Cristhian Mosquera, and he is on the bench for this game, although it's unlikely he will be involved.
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Arsenal injury list
Below is the latest injury picture for Arsenal, and estimated return dates for those who are sidelined.
Declan Rice
- Injury: Calf
- Expected return date: December 2025
Declan Rice exited late from the defeat to Aston Villa, and while he insisted he was fine after the match, he did not train ahead of the Club Brugge match, indicating there is indeed something that requires additional care.
He is reportedly a game-time decision for the match.
Cristhian Mosquera
- Injury: Ankle
- Expected return date: Late January/Early February 2026
Mosquera seemed to land awkwardly on his ankle in the win over Brentford in early December, and Arteta described the injury as "complicated" a few days later. Tests indicated the injury was worse than expected, and reports indicate he could miss six to eight weeks.
Max Dowman
- Injury: Ankle
- Expected return date: January 2026
Shuttled back-and-forth between Arsenal's first team and the U-21 side, Max Dowman picked up an ankle injury in the youth team's weekend victory over Manchester United in early December.
While there was little concrete immediate information available on the extent of the injury, Mikel Arteta said in typical Arteta fashion that Dowman would be unavailable for "weeks."
William Saliba
- Injury: Knock
- Expected return date: Mid-December 2025
Despite playing 90 minutes against Tottenham in late November, William Saliba missed the following game against Chelsea due to a knock, or a "niggle" as Mikel Arteta put it.
The boss said on December 2 that it was "a matter of days" for Saliba to return to the pitch, which most likely brings him back for either the trip to Aston Villa on December 6, or the ensuing Champions League visit to Belgium against Club Brugge on December 10.
Gabriel
- Injury: Thigh
- Expected return date: Late December 2025
A mainstay of Arsenal's imperious defence, Gabriel limped off early in the second half of Brazil's 2-0 friendly triumph against Senegal. Arteta did not give an exact prognosis for his expected return but stated "weeks," as opposed to months.
Arteta said during a press conference on November 28 that "it's not going to be that long," but then stated on December 2 that it was still "a matter of weeks" before Gabriel would be fit for a return.
Kai Havertz
- Injury: Knee
- Expected return date: Late December 2025
Havertz had a minor operation after damaging his knee in the opening win over Manchester United. Mikel Arteta is eager not to rush him back as the manager wants to keep the player fully fit for as long as possible.
After the November international break was the initial target for his return, but while still sidelined in early December, Arteta confirmed that the German had suffered a setback in his recovery. "A matter of weeks" Arteta said for his impending return, and said "I don't know" when asked when Havertz could be seen again on the pitch.
Gabriel Jesus
- Injury: ACL
- Expected return date: Late December 2025
Nearing a return from his ACL injury suffered early in 2025, Gabriel Jesus has returned to light individual training, doing work with a ball on grass.
The club has indicated they will not rush the Brazilian back to action, but after adding him to the Champions League roster as an injury replacement in early December, his return may be coming soon.
Club Brugge vs. Arsenal match details
- Date: Wednesday, December 10, 2025
- Kickoff time: 9 p.m. Local / 1:30 a.m. IST (Dec. 11)
- Location: Jan Breydel Stadium (Bruges, Belgium)
- Competition: Champions League league phase, Round 6
- Referee: Sven Jablonski (GER)
- VAR: Sascha Stegemann (GER)