Arsenal get perfect North London Derby boost as Jurrien Timber delivers big injury update

Your daily Arsenal digest for Thursday, September 21.

Arteta handed dream NLD preparation

Arsenal beating PSV 4-0 in the Champions League gave Mikel Arteta the perfect opportunity to prepare for another huge game at the weekend — the North London Derby against Tottenham on Sunday. The Spaniard named a strong starting XI for Arsenal's first game back in the Champions League since 2017 but was crucially able to rest key players.

Just before the hour mark, with Arsenal 3-0 up, Arteta began to use the Gunners' advantage in the game to his benefit with one eye on the North London Derby against Tottenham this weekend. Leandro Trossard, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Buakyo Saka, Gabriel Jesus and Declan Rice all came off in the second period, giving them a bit more recovery time for Spurs on Sunday.

Tottenham will have had a full week to prepare for the game against Arsenal — but Arteta was able to use the Gunners' strong start to the game against PSV to give some crucial players a rest and preserve their energy and fitness ahead of the North London Derby.

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Timber shares injury update

Arsenal supporters have urged Jurrien Timber to 'come back stronger' after he posted promising pictures on social media. A sickening debut saw the Dutchman suffer an ACL injury on the opening day of the campaign.

The nightmare start came just weeks after the promising youngster made a £38million switch from Eredivisie giants Ajax. Initial fears emerged about Timber potentially missing the rest of the season but football.london understands a March return is targeted.

On social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, the defender posted pictures of himself working out in the gym as he tackles the long road to recovery. Among the