Bellerin back, Ramsey and Oxlade-Chamberlain close

Arsene Wenger had his pre-match news conference today ahead of Saturday's clash against West Bromwich Albion and dished out some positive news on the injury front.

Most importantly, Hector Bellerin is fit to play against Tony Pulis' men. Arsenal's young Spanish right back had missed the previous two matches after his athletic clearance against Swansea City sent him into the goal post. Bellerin has been a key component of our defense as well as our attacking play this season and will slot right back into the first XI.

Wenger also seemed hopeful that Aaron Ramsey would return to training on Monday with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain also possibly ready to return next week. Ramsey, as you may recall, has been out since the first (and only, in my book) match against Bayern Munich while Oxlade-Chamberlain was one of the casualties of the Sheffield Wednesday debacle.

Unfortunately, Theo Walcott is still a ways out from returning, but he is set to make it back before long-term absentees Tomas Rosicky, Jack Wilshere, and Danny Welbeck. No update was given on their timetable for recovery.

Finally, Wenger mentioned that he would speak with Laurent Koscielny before the match Saturday to determine if he is emotionally ready to play after the awful attacks in Paris last week. Koscielny was understandably affected by the tragedy and certainly should be given the time to recover from the events that unfolded.

All in all, things seem to be shaping up on the injury front. The returns of Ramsey and Oxlade-Chamberlain cannot be understated considering Alexis Sanchez's fatigue level is currently one notch below "running on fumes." Those two are crucial if the manager hopes to give Alexis a breather over the next couple of weeks.