Injury Update 14/10/09

Plenty of encouraging injury news ahoy for Tottenham Hotspur...

Forgotten man Jonathan Woodgate is reported to have come through unscathed from a behind-closed-doors practice match on Tuesday.

The Mail says that 'the 29-year-old centre-back is confident he has finally put the problem behind him and is itching for a return to first-team action' and 'the news he will soon have a full strength back-line to choose from now that Michael Dawson has recovered from an Achilles injury and Ledley King has shaken off a hamstring problem is sure to delight Redknapp.'

Although Woodgate is not expected to feature this weekend against Pompey, King should be available.

However, there is a cloud on Tottenham's horizon in the form of some less encouraging news about Luca Modric. According to the Mail, 'Redknapp had hoped playmaker Modric could be available for the return to his former club but the Croat international is around a fortnight away from recovering from the fractured right fibula he suffered against Birmingham at the end of August.'

Rarely are the days when Arsenal are able to provide an injury bulletin that only consists of good news and this isn't one of these days either.

William Gallas suffered 'two smashed teeth' - which does sound somewhat nasty - during France's 5-0 win over the Faroe Islands on Saturday and is apparently a doubt for their game against Austria tonight. Which presumably also makes him a potential doubt for Arsenal's game against Birmingham on Saturday. Step forward Mikael Silvestre...

However, the positive news from the Emirates is that Samir Nasri is on the verge of a comeback from his broken leg.

"I'm due to rejoin the Arsenal team this weekend, or at the start of next week," he is quoted as saying in The Sun. "I think I will be back in action against West Ham on the 25th."

F365 would imagine he's more likely to appear in the Carling Cup tie against Liverpool on October 28 but we'll keep quiet on that and ponder instead just how Nasri could fit in to Arsenal's new 4-3-3 formation

Cheers,
AM