Arsenal set for another Champions League boost as three return from injury at the perfect time

Arsenal can already map out the rest of their season. With 13 Premier League matches left and a pathway to the Champions League final now clear, the race to the finish is very much here.

It is a three-month stretch for Arsenal with plenty at stake - not least because Liverpool have left the door open in the title race after recent results. Mikel Arteta will need every part of his squad to play a key role between now and the end of May if a trophy is to be brought home, though.

His side have been plagued by problems throughout the campaign. Three players are already ruled out for the rest of the season after Takehiro Tomiyasu joined Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus in needing surgery, limiting Arteta's options.

Fortunately, the head coach has been able to promote Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly confidently into starting players. The pair will both head into next month's Champions League last-16 matches as likely starters - almost undroppable figures, such has their impact been.

For Arsenal, seven weeks on from their last match in Europe, they can begin to plot the next steps once more. The extended group phase ending in January has left them watching on over the past fortnight as sides outside of the top eight battled it out to remain in the competition.

In the process, a handful of their rivals have been sent packing with Manchester City and Juventus both knocked out. Atalanta were shocked by Club Brugge, whilst even those who remain are not quite in top nick.

Arsenal now know that they will face PSV Eindhoven in the last-16 with the first-leg match to be played on March 4 or 5. The return fixture, which will be at home as Arsenal are seeded in Friday's draw, is one week later on March 11 or 12.

That looks likely to come too soon for Bukayo Saka to return from his hamstring injury, but Ben White will be back. He was named on the bench away to Leicester City last weekend, although he remained unused.

The full-back has been out since November after playing through pain for much of the first half of the season. His last Champions League appearance was in the 1-0 defeat to Inter on November 6, so his availability for the next round comes as a giant boost for Arteta.

Arsenal will certainly be careful when integrating White back into the team but it will provide extra cover and flexibility in defence, where Jurrien Timber has been used as right-back along with Thomas Partey at times. It could also free up Lewis-Skelly to venture into midfield if Timber is preferred on the left.

Saka is the one that eyes will be on, though. He adds an extra element of attacking flair and quality that has been missing in recent weeks. Nwaneri has deputised in an unfamiliar position exceptionally but is not yet comparable to Saka, who remains Arsenal's most important player.

Initial prognosis suggested that he would be out until at least March with the prospect of getting back to action after the international break. If this is the case then Saka will be unavailable for both last-16 ties.

Arsenal will back themselves to overcome their Dutch opposition even without Saka but know how much of a game-changer he is. The quarter-finals, played over the first and second weeks of April, could be timed perfectly for the winger to make an impact.

Before then, Arsenal face West Ham in the Premier League this weekend and Nottingham Forest just four days later. It is then a trip to Old Trafford before welcoming Chelsea in the last match before the break. Upon the return, Fulham travel to the Emirates Stadium in a fixture that may well see Saka in contention once more.

The same, right now, appears to be true for Gabriel Martinelli. His latest injury has left Arsenal's attack extremely thin and no return is expected before March, with the international break being a useful two weeks away from club football for players to recover and get up to speed before the final two months of the season.

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