Arsenal injury, suspension list and return dates for Aston Villa: Declan Rice, Cristhian Mosquera, William Saliba latest

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta squares up to his predecessor once again on Saturday lunchtime, when the Gunners open the Premier League weekend away to Aston Villa.

The table-toppers restored their five-point advantage at the the summit on Wednesday evening courtesy of a 2-0 success over Brentford, who succumbed to goals from Mikel Merino and Bukayo Saka at the Emirates.

Victory in the 12.30pm kickoff will therefore temporarily take Arsenal eight points clear of closest challengers Manchester City, although their midweek triumph came at a cost on the fitness front.

Here, Sports Mole rounds up Arsenal's latest injury and suspension news ahead of their clash with the Lions, who prevailed 4-3 in an extraordinary clash with Brighton & Hove Albion on Wednesday.

Declan Rice

Status: Minor doubt

Type of injury: Calf

Possible return date: December 6 (vs. Aston Villa)

Declan Rice was a late withdrawal in the win over Brentford, and the Englishman could be seen pointing to his calf while sitting on the turf.

However, Rice told a journalist after the game that he was "fine", so there is seemingly a strong chance that he will be fit for the Villa clash.

Cristhian Mosquera

Status: Out

Type of injury: Ankle

Possible return date: Unknown

The first of Arsenal's two midweek casualties, Cristhian Mosquera tweaked his ankle in the first half against Brentford.

The exact nature of the defender's problem is still unclear, but he is reported to be facing around six to eight weeks on the sidelines.

William Saliba

Status: Major doubt

Type of injury: Knock

Possible return date: December 6 (vs. Aston Villa)

William Saliba was seen sitting on the sidelines on Wednesday, having failed to make the cut again due to a knock, but the Frenchman might be in with a chance of displacing Mosquera against Villa.

Leandro Trossard

Status: Major doubt

Type of injury: Muscle

Possible return date: December 6 (vs. Aston Villa)

Likewise, Arteta also affirmed that Leandro Trossard could return to action from a muscle injury within "a matter of days", so the Belgian attacker has not been ruled out of this clash just yet.

Gabriel Magalhaes

Status: Out

Type of injury: Thigh

Possible return date: December 27 (vs. Brighton & Hove Albion)

In contrast, Gabriel Magalhaes is a definite absentee for the lunchtime kickoff, as the Brazilian's thigh injury is expected to sideline him until after Christmas.

Kai Havertz

Status: Out

Type of injury: Knee

Possible return date: December 30 (vs. Aston Villa)

Kai Havertz recently suffered a setback in his rehabilitation from a knee injury and is expected to miss a few more weeks, but the Germany international could still return before the end of 2025.