"He had a long flight" – Mikel Arteta offers update on whether Arsenal attacker will play against Brentford

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has insisted that Gabriel Jesus is set to be available for his team's league visit to Brentford this Saturday (November 25) after returning from international duty.

Before the start of the recently concluded international break, Jesus missed five of the Gunners' games across all competitions due to a hamstring injury. However, he started Brazil's recent 1-0 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying defeat to Argentina after bouncing back from his injury.

During a pre-match press conference, Arteta was asked whether Jesus will feature in Arsenal's upcoming clash. He replied (h/t football.london):

"He is available. He played 96 minutes in a really competitive match. He had a long flight. I have to see the condition."

During the former Manchester City striker's absence, Arteta decided to hand Eddie Nketiah three starts and Leandro Trossard two starts across all competitions in the number nine role. While Nketiah scored three goals, Trossard registered two goals and one assist for his team.

Jesus, meanwhile, has found the back of the net four times in 11 games across all competitions for Arsenal in the ongoing 2023-24 season. The 26-year-old has also laid out one assist for his club so far.

Chris Sutton predicts scoreline of upcoming Arsenal league encounter against Brentford

In his column for the BBC, ex-Chelsea striker Chris Sutton predicted a 1-0 win for Arsenal in their Premier League contest against Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium this Saturday. He wrote:

"On the face of it, Brentford got walloped 3-0 at Liverpool last time out but look past the scoreline and they were competitive for long periods of that game. So, this is going to be far from easy for Arsenal. They won here at the start of last season, but the Bees' home form is very strong and we know how well-balanced they are, and how awkward they are are to play against."

The Gunners, who have won 13 of their 19 matches this season, are currently third in the 2023-24 Premier League standings with 27 points from 12 outings. They will be keen to make it two in two against Brentford this term after beating the Bees 1-0 in the EFL Cup third round.

Thomas Frank's side, on the other hand, are in 11th spot in the domestic standings with 16 points. They have lost just one of their last 10 home league outings, losing 3-1 to Everton back in September.