Partey, Tomiyasu, & Timber: Arsenal injury list & expected return dates ahead of Fulham clash

Arsenal head into Sunday's Premier League clash against Fulham hoping to regain their spot at the summit of the table. The Gunners were top of the pile at Christmas for a second year running, but will have to leapfrog Liverpool once again following the Reds' Boxing Day victory over struggling Burnley and Arsenal's own surprise home defeat to West Ham United,

After that bruising defeat - which leaves Mikel Arteta's side two points shy of the Reds - attentions will turn immediately to Fulham, who themselves were beaten comfortably by Bournemouth on Boxing Day. If the Gunners are to get anything against the Cottagers, however, they are going to have to do so without a number of first-team squad members. With that in mind, here is Arsenal's full injury list, and their expected return dates.

Fabio Vieira - Groin

The Portuguese midfielder has struggled to properly make a sustained impact in North London since arriving last summer, but had slowly been forcing his way into Mikel Arteta's starting XI on a more regular basis prior to picking up a groin injury last month. Since then, Vieira has undergone surgery, with his manager stating on November 28th: 'We don't expect him to do that [be back this side of the international break], so let's see how he evolves, and obviously, the operation was done yesterday, so we're going to have to wait and see.'

To that end, Vieira is expected to return to action in mid- to late January, with the clash against Crystal Palace on the 20th one potential date for his comeback.

Takehiro Tomiyasu - Calf

Another who was enjoying a greater degree of trust prior to his injury, Tomiyasu is currently sidelined with a calf complaint that he sustained against Wolves a little while ago. Speaking earlier this month about the Japanese international, Arteta said: 'We had a scan, and it's not good news. He's got an injury in his calf, and he's going to be out for a while.'

While there is still no definite date in mind for Tomiyasu's return, reports have suggested that there is tentative hope he could be back in time to feature in the FA Cup clash against Liverpool on January 7th.

Thomas Partey - Thigh

Plagued by muscular injuries this season, Partey has already missed an awful lot of football, and according to his manager, is still a little way away from making a proper return to action. Speaking just before Christmas, Arteta said: 'Thomas is still finalising his rehab. He still hasn't trained with the team yet.' Like Tomiyasu, it could be that Liverpool clash in early January before we see the Ghanaian back in contention.

Jurrien Timber - Knee

When Timber suffered an ACL injury on the opening weekend of the campaign, there were widespread assumptions that he might not play again this season. But while there is still no concrete indication as to when the Dutch defender will be available to feature once again, there does appear to be a renewed sense of optimism surrounding his rehabilitation.

Speaking recently, Arteta said: 'He's flying, to be fair. The way he works every single day is incredibly satisfying to watch, but unfortunately, we're going to miss him still for a long time. I think he's in a really good place.'