By Basant El-Faramawy
Arsenal welcomed Christos Tzolis back from a hamstring injury for Sunday's Premier League clash at Liverpool, providing a timely boost for manager Mikel Arteta.
Tzolis Returns After Month-Long Absence
The Greek international had been sidelined for six games after suffering the injury on international duty at the start of October, leaving Arteta short of options at left-wing.
Arteta Forced Into Early Selection
Arteta told Sky Sports that other selection issues forced him to start Tzolis sooner than planned. "We had some other issues after Tuesday. We need to be smart how we manage minutes today. The conditions and the context forced me to make some decisions," he said.
Saka and Dowman Absences Compound Issues
Arsenal's attacking options were further depleted by Bukayo Saka's injury against Bayern Munich, which could keep him out for up to eight weeks, and Max Dowman's straight red card in the Carabao Cup defeat to Fleetwood Town, ruling him out for three matches.
Liverpool's Szoboszlai Also Returns
For Liverpool, Dominik Szoboszlai returned to the squad after a thigh injury that caused him to miss four of the last five games. Manager Andoni Iraola said the Hungarian was desperate to start but the club opted for caution after a recurrence at Brentford two weeks ago.
