Arsenal face mounting injury issues as they gear up for their Premier League clash against Manchester City at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday. The Gunners have made an impressive start to the season, securing three victories from their opening four matches.
They currently occupy second spot in the Premier League standings, trailing leaders Liverpool by three points. City, by contrast, find themselves languishing in eighth position after claiming just two wins from their first four outings. Both sides are grappling with fitness concerns ahead of the highly-anticipated encounter.
Arsenal will certainly be without long-term casualties Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz, who continue their rehabilitation from respective injuries.
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The trio of Ben White, Bukayo Saka, and Martin Odegaard remain major doubts for the showdown.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta revealed in his pre-match press conference: "If there is a chance, it will be after tomorrow's session because they haven't done anything yet, so we'll have more information tomorrow."
He continued: "Everything has been modified so far for them, and there are still a few things to clear, and tomorrow we'll have more information whether they are part of the squad, they have a chance to be part of the squad or not."
There is also uncertainty over whether defender William Saliba, who remained on the bench during Tuesday night's Champions League encounter against Athletic Club, will be fit to start the fixture. "Let's see. Obviously, he's been carrying an injury," Arteta said.
"He's done really well to be available for the last match. He's really pushing it, so we'll decide tomorrow what's the best start."
However, there was positive news with the Arsenal manager confirming that both striker Viktor Gyokeres and midfielder Mikel Merino will be ready after sustaining head knocks in the midweek encounter.
City have also received a boost with defender John Stones anticipated to be available for the fixture. The player has been training, but wasn't included in the squad for Thursday night's clash vs Napoli.
Doubts do remain over several other players. Forward Rayan Cherki will remain sidelined longer with a thigh problem, whilst Omar Marmoush will return before the international break, though the Arsenal encounter will likely arrive too early.
It's a comparable scenario for midfielder Mateo Kovacic, who is recovering from an Achilles problem. Kalvin Phillips has also yet to feature this campaign due to the same issue.
One player who might potentially return is Rayan Ait-Nouri. The player sustained an ankle knock against Tottenham, though the injury isn't anticipated to sideline him for an extended period.
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