Mikel Arteta delivers mixed Arsenal team news for Brighton as Kai Havertz, Gabriel Magalhaes injury updates revealed

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has provided the latest on Gabriel Magalhaes and Kai Havertz's recoveries from injuries before Saturday's Premier League clash with Brighton & Hove Albion.

After spending Christmas Day at the top of the Premier League table, the Gunners could be briefly bumped down to second place by Manchester City before Arteta's men tackle the Seagulls at the Emirates.

Pep Guardiola's side - who sit two points adrift of Arsenal - take on Nottingham Forest in the lunchtime kickoff, although Arteta's men responded to the Sky Blues' early win over West Ham United by edging out Everton last weekend.

Havertz and Gabriel were among the Arsenal players to watch that 1-0 victory from the sidelines, but the former - who has been out since August with a knee problem - has now made his long-awaited return to first-team training.

Speaking to reporters in his pre-game press conference on Boxing Day, Arteta revealed that it may be only "a matter of days" before Havertz is eligible for action again, meaning that an appearance against Aston Villa on December 30 has not been ruled out.

Mikel Arteta delivers Kai Havertz, Gabriel injury updates before Brighton

Asked how close Havertz was to a comeback, Arteta replied: "Quite close. I think it will be a matter of days if not weeks.

"Let’s see in the next stage how he responds to that. He’s a player that we’ve missed a lot. A player that brings the team into a different dimension. So, really happy to have him back soon."

However, the Gunners boss has admitted that Gabriel - who damaged his hamstring while representing Brazil during the last international break - is no closer to a return, having not rejoined team training just yet.

"We have to wait and see again," Arteta added. "He hasn’t trained yet. He’s stable in his rehab. But hopefully we get him back as soon as possible because we know the situation that we have in the backline."

Ben White (hamstring), Cristhian Mosquera (ankle) and Max Dowman (ankle) will also play no part in the battle with Fabian Hurzeler's men, while Piero Hincapie (shoulder) and Gabriel Martinelli (knock) are both doubts following recent blows.

Arsenal vs. Brighton: Should Viktor Gyokeres or Gabriel Jesus start?

Arsenal host their Southern counterparts on the back of an unconvincing EFL Cup penalty-shootout win over Crystal Palace, against whom Gabriel Jesus made his first start in almost a year following his recovery from an ACL injury.

Jesus had already made a nuisance of himself in substitute cameos against Club Brugge and Everton, and even though he is still lacking some match sharpness, he was still a livewire in the quarter-final.

Meanwhile, Gyokeres may have taken down Everton with a powerful penalty, but the Swede is still struggling to adapt to Arsenal's system and deep Premier League defences, which restrict his ability to burst into space.

However, Gyokeres could potentially benefit from Brighton's aggressive approach, and Jesus will surely not be ready for two starts in one week yet, so the Scandinavian is a surefire pick up front.