Arsenal are heading into a packed stretch of games, and injuries are starting to pile up. Fans are on edge, waiting to hear what’s happening with William Saliba and Kai Havertz. There’s an FA Cup clash with Wigan coming up, plus some huge Premier League matches, so Mikel Arteta has his hands full trying to keep the squad sharp and the momentum going.

That 1-1 draw at Brentford helped settle things a bit, especially with Leandro Trossard, Bukayo Saka, and Martin Odegaard all back in the lineup. Their return lifted the mood, but there’s still a lot of uncertainty around a few players who could make or break Arsenal’s short-term hopes.

Let’s start with Saliba. He’s a rock in the back line, and his absence at Brentford was obvious, even though Cristhian Mosquera stepped up. Saliba trained earlier in the week, but illness kept him out of the game. Now, everyone’s hoping he’ll be fit for the FA Cup tie, especially with the north London derby against Spurs right after. Arteta knows that a steady defence is everything when the season gets tough, and Saliba’s calmness on the ball is now a big part of how Arsenal builds up play. If he’s back in time, it’s a big boost heading into a run of games that could shape the rest of their season.

Then there’s Havertz. He’d just started finding his rhythm again after dealing with a knee problem, only to pick up another setback – a muscle injury this time. He hasn’t played since the opening-day win over Manchester United, and now it looks like he’ll miss more games. Havertz brings a lot of flexibility up front, and he’s great at pulling defenders around. Losing him, especially when there’s a derby and a busy league schedule, means Arteta has to shuffle his attack. Right now, it looks like Havertz will sit out against Wigan, Wolves, and Spurs, with a possible return against Chelsea in early March. Getting him fit again is going to be key if Arsenal want to keep scoring goals.

Midfield depth has taken a hit, too, with Mikel Merino out after foot surgery. Arsenal confirmed he’s sidelined for a while, and Arteta opened up about just how tricky this injury is.

“There’s uncertainty because the recovery time isn’t well understood, as there’s no history of this type of injury. It’s a stress fracture, not the toes; it’s deeper than that. It’s not something that’s well documented, so there’s a lot of doubt about his recovery.”

Arteta added, “Doctors were really happy. But with bone healing, you need patience. We’re talking months three, four, maybe five. We just don’t know yet.”

Basically, Arsenal are bracing for a long wait with Merino.

There’s at least one bright spot: Max Dowman is almost ready to come back after his ankle injury. The 16-year-old has been out for two months, but he’s getting close. Arteta kept it simple before the Brentford match: “He’s doing really well, about a week away.” If Dowman makes it back in time for the Tottenham game, he could give the team a much-needed jolt during a tough stretch.

With Saliba’s fitness still up in the air and Havertz sidelined again, Arsenal’s depth is about to get a real test. The next few weeks will show just how well Arteta can keep things on track while juggling injuries and trying to stay in the hunt on all fronts.

Noni Madueke put the leaders ahead right on the hour, but honestly, Brentford deserved at least a point and got it when Keane Lewis-Potter equalised.

Arsenal’s still sitting four points clear at the top, chasing that first league title in 22 years. But they’ve got a tough trip to second-placed City coming up in their last 12 games.

That draw gave Brentford’s European hopes a solid boost; they're still seventh. Keith Andrews’ team has only lost twice at home all season, and Arsenal were honestly a bit lucky not to chalk up their fourth league loss.

David Raya, facing his old club, pulled off a brilliant save to deny Igor Thiago’s powerful header the best chance of the first half.

Arsenal had to do without William Saliba and Kai Havertz, both out with illness and injury. Good news for them: Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka made it back onto the bench. At halftime, Arteta threw on Odegaard, and you could feel the shift; the visitors suddenly looked a lot more dangerous.

Their pressure finally paid off when Madueke climbed high at the back post to nod Piero Hincapie’s cross back past Caoimhin Kelleher.

But instead of pushing for another, Arsenal started to sit back, trying to hang onto their lead. That’s when Brentford really started to believe. Thiago forced Raya into another sharp stop, and Lewis-Potter should have equalised earlier. He headed wide from a corner with nobody marking him.

Set pieces have been a massive weapon for Arsenal this season, a big reason they’re leading the title chase. But Brentford know how to handle dead balls too. The equaliser came from one of Michael Kayode’s long throws. Sepp van den Berg flicked it on, and Lewis-Potter nipped in ahead of Odegaard to head it home.

In the last 20 minutes, Brentford actually looked more likely to win. Cristhian Mosquera made a crucial tackle on Thiago right at the end, and Thiago almost found his 18th Premier League goal in stoppage time he just blasted it over.

Right at the death, Arsenal nearly stole it. Kelleher came flying off his line to deny Gabriel Martinelli.