Gabriel Jesus is closing in on an Arsenal return after four months on the sidelines, but the Premier League leaders will not have the striker available for Saturday's meeting with Bournemouth.
Jesus made an immediate impact upon his arrival from Manchester City last year, but he has not played since suffering a knee injury while representing Brazil at the World Cup in December.
The 25-year-old returned to light training last month, and while his first club outing since November is not imminent, Arsenal fans will not have to wait much longer to see him in action.
Manager Mikel Arteta said of Jesus at Friday's pre-Bournemouth press conference: "He's not far now. I don't want to give a timeline – he's not very close, but he's not far at all, and he's feeling better every day.
"The doctors are confident with the way the injury is evolving and we are in a good place with him, I think.
"It's been pretty straightforward. Obviously at the start we were really concerned about the extent of the injury. Thankfully it was not that bad, but it was a long-term injury and required surgery.
"Knowing Gabi, he's gone through this before. His mentality is just incredible and I think the team has done a good job to put him in the position he's in today."
Asked if Jesus could play before the international break later this month, Arteta added: "We don't know. We're not far away but he needs to do much more with the team.
"Lets see how the next week or 10 days develop, then we'll have a much better picture."
Despite Jesus' absence, Arsenal are five points clear at the summit after winning seven of their 11 Premier League games since the World Cup.
Arteta is proud of his players' reaction to Jesus' injury, with Eddie Nketiah among those to have stepped up to fill the void up top.
"That was a huge blow for the team. We knew the importance of Gabi and the way he transformed this period and the belief," Arteta said.
"But to be fair, the team made a step forward and players took more responsibility individually. They were keen to maintain the level and we have done it so far.
"What he was producing for the team was phenomenal. But it's true that we now need to see what level he comes back at, how we are going to fit him in.
"Like everybody else he will have to earn his place, but we know what Gabi can give to the team, that's for sure."
Meanwhile, two other stars of Arsenal's bid for a first league title since 2004 – Bukayo Saka and William Saliba – have entered the final 18 months of their contracts with the Gunners, who are keen to tie them down to long-term deals.
Arteta, however, is unwilling to publicly discuss their futures until Arsenal's title charge is concluded.
"Every player is very important. Obviously there are players with special circumstances contractually, and we are trying to deal with them," he said.
"But I don't want to cause any distractions in this moment with those conversations. When something is done and it's good news, we will announce it."
Al Hilal 3-1 Al Fateh: Neves on target as Saudi giants close in on title
Al Hilal moved 12 points clear of Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr at the top of the Saudi Pro League as Ruben Neves scored in a 3-1 win over Al Fateh on Friday.
Former Wolves star Neves slotted in from the penalty spot in the 74th minute, as Al Hilal completed a rapid comeback.
Having fallen behind to Lucas Zelarayan's 57th-minute opener, Al Hilal responded swiftly through Micheal before Salem Al Najdi fouled Mohammed Al Qahtani in the penalty area.
Ex-Barcelona winger Cristian Trello and Al Fateh coach Slaven Bilic were booked for their complaints, with Neves making no mistake, paving the way for Ali Al Bulayhi to seal victory in the 15th minute of an extended period of stoppage time.
Data Debrief
Al Hilal have now won 21 games on the spin in the league. They have scored 86 goals across their 28 matches this season, winning 26 in total.
They had 19 shots on Friday, accumulating 2.34 xG to Al Fateh's 0.25, with pass-master Neves creating three chances to go along with his goal.
RFEF elects Rocha as new president
The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) has confirmed Pedro Rocha as its new president.
Rocha has been elected as Luis Rubiales' replacement, despite being under investigation for corruption.
He had been serving as interim president since Rubiales resigned in September over the scandal caused when he kissed player Jenni Hermoso following Spain's Women's World Cup triumph in August.
In a statement released on Friday, the RFEF said: "Pedro Rocha has today been proclaimed the new president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), after having received the support of the majority of the assembly members of this institution that governs Spanish football.
"The process followed the procedure agreed by the Electoral Commission, which met this morning, and the timetable that was established for these elections."
Rocha has been under investigation since earlier in April, after the RFEF's headquarters was raided by police last month. The Spanish government announced on Thursday that it would be stepping in to oversee the running of the organisation.
Guardiola insists three teams still in title hunt despite Liverpool slip-up
Pep Guardiola insists Liverpool remain in the Premier League title race, despite the Reds losing further ground on Arsenal and Manchester City in a dramatic few days at the summit.
Liverpool suffered a surprise 2-0 defeat to Merseyside rivals Everton on Wednesday, a result which meant they failed to close the gap to Arsenal after the Gunners thrashed Chelsea 5-0 on Tuesday.
While Jurgen Klopp's men couldn't respond to the Gunners pulling clear, City did on Thursday, with Phil Foden scoring twice in an emphatic 4-0 win over Brighton at the Amex Stadium.
One point behind Arsenal with a game in hand, City know five wins from their five remaining matches will seal an unprecedented fourth successive English top-flight title.
However, Guardiola expects further twists and turns in the coming weeks.
Asked if Liverpool were still in contention after City's win, Guardiola told Sky Sports: "Yeah. Many things can happen.
"What happened with Liverpool, losing to Crystal Palace and Everton, can happen to us. It can happen to Arsenal. No-one is safe. We have to rest. Now it is just about recovering for the next one.
"We have been here in the past but being here in the past doesn't mean it is going to happen. We have to do the things to make it happen."
City's comprehensive win – in which Kevin De Bruyne scored his first headed goal in the Premier League – saw them cut Arsenal's goal difference advantage to eight goals.
However, Guardiola believes it will be tough for City to close that gap, saying: "It is difficult to cut. The margin is so big. They score a lot of goals and don't concede.
"The main thing is to win the games. We have five games left and they are tough ones – it's a lot of games. We'll take it one game at a time."
Foden's first goal against Brighton – a deflected free-kick – saw him become just the third player to score 50 top-flight goals under Guardiola while aged 23 or younger, after Erling Haaland and Lionel Messi.
Foden is the favourite to be named Premier League Player of the Season, and while Guardiola believes he should be in contention, he says his player is more concerned with team honours.
"For sure, but he wants to win the Premier League," Guardiola said when asked if Foden deserved individual honours. "His influence in the final third was better than in the last two or three games. Today he was more calm, his decision-making was good and to score goals is always good."
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