Rice, Partey, Gabriel: Arsenal injury list and return dates ahead of Nottingham Forest Premier League clash

Arsenal will be looking to build on an emphatic return to winning ways in their last Premier League outing when they play Nottingham Forest on Tuesday evening. The Gunners had gone four games without a win in all competitions prior to thrashing Crystal Palace 5-0 on Saturday lunchtime, and Mikel Arteta will be hoping that his side's assured attacking display can act as a catalyst for the second half of their title bid.

Heading into their next top flight clash, Arsenal are third in the table, five points adrift of league leaders Liverpool, and level with both Manchester City and Aston Villa - with the defending champions currently holding a game in hand over the teams around them.

For their part, Forest have enjoyed something of an upturn in fortunes under new manager Nuno Espirito Santo, but lost 3-2 to Brentford in their most recent Premier League outing. The Midlands club also face an FA Cup clash against Championship outfit Bristol City on Friday evening, prior to their meeting with Arsenal on Tuesday night.

But how will the Gunners line up for that match? We've taken a look at their latest injury news, and any potential return dates where possible, below...

Jurrien Timber

Timber has been sidelined since the opening weekend of the campaign with an ACL injury, and while he is recovering at a much swifter rate than many expected him to, it could still be a while before we see him back in an Arsenal shirt. It is difficult to put an exact date on his comeback, but needles to say, it won't be at any point in the immediate future.

Fabio Vieira

Since undergoing groin surgery late last year, Vieira has been consigned to a watching brief in North London. It is understood that his rehabilitation is going to plan, though. Speaking in early January, Arteta said: 'He's doing well again, but it was a surgery that required two different things to get results. Obviously, he is still a bit far from where we want him, but he needs to keep working, and hopefully, in the next few weeks, we can have him [available].' February could be a realistic target for his return.

Thomas Partey

Plagued by injury this season, Partey is still in the process of recovering from a thigh problem that has kept him out of action for quite some time now. The clash against Forest will probably come too soon, but an early February comeback could be on the cards.

Declan Rice

Hooked against Crystal Palace, the hope will be that Rice's withdrawal was precautionary rather than anything serious. Certainly, that was the impression Arteta gave in his post-match comments. The Arsenal boss said: '[Declan] was feeling some tiredness. I don’t know exactly what muscle it was, but when he says that at 3-0. Obviously, we don’t want to take any risks.' Should be in contention to face Forest.

Gabriel Magalhaes

A similar situation to Rice, Gabriel was taken off against Palace, but will be assessed with view to featuring against Forest in some capacity. Addressing the defender's situation, Arteta said: 'He had some discomfort; he had a tackle in the first half and was a bit struggling, so it was the right moment to take them off.'

Takehiro Tomiyasu

Currently away on international duty with Japan at the Asian Cup, the defender will only return once his country have packed their bags and exited the tournament.

Mohamed Elneny

Similar to Tomiyasu, Elneny is away with Egypt at the African Cup of Nations. The Pharoahs survived a major scare earlier in the week to scrape through to the knockout rounds despite drawing all three of their group stage matches.