Timber has not played a competitive match since coming off the bench in the Champions League final in May, in what were his first minutes since mid-March.
The Netherlands defender subseqeuently missed the World Cup, and underwent surgery on the groin problem that had plagued him for several months.
Timber has now returned to first-team training with Arsenal following the start of the season, but was not expected to be available for selection until later on in the month.
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However, speaking in his pre-match press conference on Friday, Arteta confirmed the 25-year-old could feature against London rivals Chelsea at the weekend.
‘He’s in really good condition at the moment,’ Arteta said of Timber. ‘He’s been training with us now, he’s in a good place.’
Asked if Timber could face Chelsea, Arteta replied: ‘We will decide again tomorrow after training.’
Jurrien Timber has returned to first-team training (Picture: Getty)
There was also positive news for Bruno Guimaraes, who made a brief substitute appearance against Aston Villa but was not pictured in training on Thursday.
‘He had a knock against Villa in the previous game,’ Arteta said. ‘He’s been assessed, but probably tomorrow he will be OK to train.’
However, there is more uncertainty over the fitness of Cristhian Mosquera, who was replaced by Ezri Konsa midway through the second half at Villa Park on Monday.
‘It was more precaution than anything else,’ Arteta added. ‘We have to see tomorrow in the session how he feels.’
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