Emile Smith Rowe hopes to be fit for the Leicester clash

Emile Smith Rowe hopes to return to the squad for Sunday’s game between Arsenal and Leicester.

Smith Rowe missed last weekend’s 3-2 win over Watford after testing positive for Covid-19.

Before that game, the midfielder had missed the previous win over Wolves with a stomach problem and a groin problem in December and January.

Smith Rowe will hope his fitness issues are now behind him and he can play when Arsenal host Leicester on Sunday.

However, the Gunners are likely to be without Takehiro Tomiyasu as the right-back has been dealing with a calf injury.

The Japan international had a separate calf problem in January but, after recovering, then picked up another one.

In Tomiyasu’s absence, Cedric Soares is likely to keep his place at right-back after impressing in recent weeks.

Arsenal go into Sunday’s game at Leicester sitting fourth in the Premier League and are now favorites to qualify for the Champions League. They are one point ahead of Manchester United in fifth, but have three games in hand.

Mikel Arteta, however, does not get carried away and tries to keep his players’ feet on the ground.

“To be fair, I don’t like to look at the table too much because we’ve got games in hand,” he said.

“We will play different games and I know the objective and it’s only one, let’s try to improve tomorrow what we did today and go to the next game and that’s it.

“I can’t control the results and I can’t predict which matches we will win, draw or lose, it’s impossible. If I start doing that, I think we’ll lose focus on what we want to do.

“We have great people and very good players and I think that combination at the end, when everyone is on board, has to have a good result and I believe in that and I still believe in that today.”