Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger says defender Per Mertesacker will undergo a late fitness test ahead of Sunday's Premier League game against Chelsea.
An injury suffered against Reading in the FA Cup forced the 30-year-old out of all training sessions this week with Gabriel Paulista set to take over in central defence if the German fails to recover.
"Last week against Reading, Per Mertesacker got injured and he has not been out [training] since," Wenger revealed on Thursday.
"He's still in the treatment room and I don't know if he will be available or not. [He is] 50/50 [to start against Chelsea] at the moment.
"He's [Gabriel Paulista is] ready [to step up]. He came on in the FA Cup semi-final and I think if Per is not ready, Gabriel will start."
Meanwhile, the Frenchman also confirmed that midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is still not ready to make his comeback from injury.
"Apart from Mertesacker, everybody else [from last weekend] should be available," he said.
"He's [Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is] still out, he has not been in training. He's not being considered at all.
"He's [Mikel Arteta is] getting closer, he's back in full training but is still a bit short physically to go into a game of this intensity."
