Arsenal Football Club

• Nickname:Gunners
• Founded:1886
• Manager:Arsene Wenger

• Ground:Emirates
• Capacity:60432

Injury boost for ailing Gunners

12 Dec 2008 - 11:52:07

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Arsenal's injury problems finally appear to be easing with five players set to return to action in this weekend's trip to Middlesbrough.

Gunners boss Arsene Wenger has revealed that Gael Clichy, Cesc Fabregas, Robin van Persie, Emmanuel Adebayor and Bacary Sagna, who all missed the midweek Champions League defeat to FC Porto, could feature at The Riverside Stadium.

However Kolo Toure (calf), Samir Nasri (ankle), Eduardo (broken leg) and Tomas Rosicky (hamstring) all remain on the sidelines.

Wenger confirmed: "Sagna, Clichy, Fabregas, van Persie and Adebayor have a reasonable chance to come back.

"Perhaps less certain is Sagna but the other four should be alright.

"However Kolo Toure will still be out and so will Samir Nasri. Plus, of course, the injured players we had before."

Eduardo is set to make his comeback in the reserves next week, with Wenger saying of the Croatia international: "It is great news.

"Of course the problem for Eduardo is that, even though he is playing a game, we still must get him back to a competitive level.

"Basically we don't know how much patience he will need but if patience is needed we have to take it.

"I still believe that we have to give him at least one-and-a-half months' competition before he will be completely back at the level he was before.

"But he has a fantastic basis of fitness because he has worked unbelievably hard. I mean unbelievably hard. So he could still surprise us by being a little bit quicker."