Arsenal could hand a swift debut to new signing Denis Suarez during Sunday's high-profile Premier League trip to former club Manchester City.
The Spanish midfielder, well known to Unai Emery following a previous stint at Sevilla, moved to north London on a loan deal until the end of the season on deadline day.
And he could be thrust straight into the action at the Etihad Stadium as the visitors attempt to stay one step ahead of Chelsea and Manchester United in the race for a top-four berth.
Suarez made just two Carabao Cup appearances for City as a teenager before departing for Barcelona in 2013 and will no doubt be eager to strike another blow to their title hopes after that shock midweek defeat by Newcastle.
In Pictures | Arsenal sign Denis Suarez from Barcelona | 31/01/2019
Arsenal's defensive problems remain with Sokratis Papastathopolous (ankle) expected to remain out until the end of February, while Rob Holding (ACL) is a long-term absentee and Hector Bellerin underwent successful knee surgery earlier this week.
Emery fielded a centre-back pairing consisting of Nacho Monreal and Shkodran Mustafi for Tuesday's emotional 2-1 home win over Cardiff, but captain Laurent Koscielny could return at City after unfounded fears that he had fractured his draw in the FA Cup fourth-round clash with Manchester United.
However, both Ainsley Maitland-Niles (knee) and Henrikh Mkhitaryan (foot) will need to be assessed to determine their availability ahead of kick-off. Danny Welbeck remains out after breaking his right ankle on Europa League duty in November.
In Pictures | Arsenal vs Cardiff City | 29/01/2019
City have no new signings to unveil ahead of the visit of Arsenal and Pep Guardiola may well be tempted to name an unchanged side to seek an instant reaction after a rare off night on Tyneside.
However, that may not be possible if a nasty cut sustained by goalkeeper Ederson at St James' Park keeps him sidelined and requires towering young deputy Aro Muric to make his top-flight debut.
Claudio Bravo would be unavailable to deputise for Ederson due to a ruptured achilles tendon. Skipper Vincent Kompany is expected to be absent once again with a muscle problem and Benjamin Mendy has been dealing with swelling in his knee.
Predicted line-ups
Manchester City [4-1-2-3]: Ederson, Walker, Stones, Laporte, Danilo, Fernandinho, Silva, De Bruyne, Sterling, Aguero, Sane
Arsenal [4-1-2-1-2]: Leno, Maitland-Niles, Mustafi, Koscielny, Kolasinac, Xhaka, Torreira, Suarez, Ramsey, Aubameyang
