Arsenal stars are about to discover Africa Cup of Nations fate as draw date and pots confirmed
Before October's international fixtures commence, it's worth remembering how Arsenal were impacted by last month's Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers with Ghana sealing their passage to the finals.
The competition, which was last won by Senegal, is to be held in the Ivory Coast between January 13 and February 11, 2024. Now, the timing of the tournament means that Mikel Arteta will have to cope with the fact that some of his senior players are poised to miss a large portion of the season.
As things currently stand, that is likely to be Thomas Partey and Mohamed Elneny — as a result of Egypt also qualifying. Both midfielders have been recalled by their respective nations for this month's round of international fixtures following injury and it's safe to assume they'll depart in the new year provided they are fit.
If, as expected, the aforementioned duo are selected for Africa Cup of Nations duty, then Arsenal could be without them for up to a month. This is because Ghana and Egypt will be among the pre-tournament favourites and therefore it would be a surprise if they don't reach the latter stages.
The Premier League winter break, which is set to return between January 14 and 20 will help matters even if Elneny and Partey are absent for four fixtures. However, if the Gunners are in the Carabao Cup semi-final and advance to the FA Cup fourth round then that's a few extra games to consider.
Clarity over their chances of going all the way will be provided on Thursday (October 12) as the draw for the group stage takes place at the brand-new Parc Des Expositions venue in Abidjan and will be shown live via The Confederation of African Football's (CAF) YouTube channel at 8pm (UK time).
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