Report: Arsenal's Swansea visit set for Ozil, Bellerin, Gibbs boost

Arsenal's south Wales sojourn Saturday is set to be boosted by the return of a trio of first-team stalwarts, with Mesut Ozil, Hector Bellerin, and Kieran Gibbs expected on the team sheet for the trip to the Liberty Stadium.

All three missed Saturday's FA Cup third-round nail-biter at Preston North End with various injuries, but the players have been deemed fit for Arsenal's return to Premier League football against relegation fodder Swansea, reports the Evening Standard's James Olley.

Ozil hasn't played in any of Arsenal's last three fixtures after fighting the flu over the holidays, and in his absence, Arsene Wenger's lot lacked the midfield creativity and passing skills synonymous with the Gelsenkirchen-born World Cup winner.

With full-backs Bellerin and Gibbs out for Saturday's trip to Deepdale, Nacho Monreal and Ainsley Maitland-Niles were handed starts for the come-from-behind victory. Bellerin, who picked up a knock, is likely to return to the starting XI, with Gibbs and Monreal to renew the battle for first-choice duties on the left.

Gibbs hasn't played since the Boxing Day victory over West Brom after limping off against the Baggies in the 71st minute with a knee injury, while Bellerin was a precautionary omission for the FA Cup trip.

While Arsenal will be buoyed by the return of its first-team trio, Theo Walcott is still out as the club monitors his calf injury, and Danny Welbeck's inclusion will be a last-minute decision. He finally returned to the fold against Preston following a protracted eight-month recovery from knee surgery.