Arsenal's Title Challenge Soon to Be Boosted by Attacking Cavalry

Arsenal’s 3-0 win over Olympiakos on Wednesday and consequent passage into the knockout phase of the Champions League has lifted the mood around the club.

With a victory over Sunderland in the Premier League also under the belt, there is renewed hope this could be a successful season for the club. The fog is lifting, and a number of key attacking players are close to returning. Come Christmas, the cavalry will begin to arrive.

The injuries have already begun to clear up. Theo Walcott has made his return to the starting XI in Greece, while Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain started the Sunderland game. Arsenal’s casualty list is shortening, and Wenger’s options are improving with each passing week.

LINDSEY PARNABY/Getty Images

The next major star back is likely to be Chilean Alexis Sanchez. According to James Benge of the Evening Standard, Alexis’ recovery is progressing well in his homeland and he could even return to training in London Colney in the coming days.

Arsenal will wait until he gets back to England before they make an assessment on his fitness, but their main hope will surely be that he is able to in time for the top-of-the-table clash with Manchester City on December 21.

Although Alexis was initially projected to miss that vital fixture, his powers of recovery know few bounds. The Gunners medical team will surely do everything they can to have him ready to face Manuel Pellegrini’s side. Alexis’ talent is certainly worth the risk. He has already shown he can be the man to decide these vital six-pointers.

ADRIAN DENNIS/Getty Images

Not far behind him will be Danny Welbeck. The England international has been absent since the spring with a serious knee problem but could soon be ready to bring his versatility and energy back to the Arsenal front line.

In the absence of Welbeck and Walcott, the strain on Olivier Giroud has been significant. Although he has shouldered the responsibility well, the possibility of rotation should enable Wenger to keep his strikers fresh in the second half of the campaign.

After a traumatic period, Welbeck seems confident he can come back with a bang. Speaking to the club's official website, he said:

"

For the first month, in a leg brace, not being able to do anything, on a machine six hours a day, it was very difficult. But you have to try and see the positives. Luckily I had my family around me, my friends came down to London and I had my brothers.

It was good to have people around me and have that support. You wake up in the morning and know you have double sessions in the gym it is hard but you have to see the positive side and I have learnt a lot more being injured on how to look after your body and prevent injuries. I have to see the positive side and hopefully when I come back, I will be flying.

"

Come the new year, Welbeck’s athleticism should be available to Wenger once again. Throw in an improved Joel Campbell, and Arsenal’s armoury seems well-stocked for firepower once more.

The good news doesn’t end there. Jack Wilshere and Tomas Rosicky should soon be ready to lend their creativity to the Arsenal midfield. Arsenal’s squad has been ravaged by injury, but those wounds are healing. The festive period provides an infamously difficult and congested fixture list, but the indications are the Gunners should soon be able to call upon the personnel required to mount a genuine title challenge.

James McNicholas is Bleacher Report's lead Arsenal correspondent and is following the club from a London base throughout 2015/16. Follow him on Twitter here.