Arsenal’s defender William Saliba is unlikely to feature in the much-anticipated Premier League encounter against Manchester City on Wednesday due to a back injury.
Ahead of Wednesday’s crucial Premier League fixture against Manchester City, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is scheduled to provide an update on the fitness of William Saliba during his pre-match press conference on Tuesday.
Concerns have been raised that the young French defender may be sidelined for the remainder of the season.
After picking up an injury in Arsenal’s Europa League match against Sporting Lisbon last month, William Saliba has been absent from the team’s last five games.
During this period, the Gunners have been forced to rely on Rob Holding in Saliba’s place, but have struggled to maintain a clean sheet in his absence.
How Arsenal have performed without Saliba
In the absence of William Saliba, Arsenal’s defense has been porous, conceding a total of nine goals in their previous five games, with seven of them coming in the last three matches.
Although the Gunners had some emphatic victories against Crystal Palace and Leeds United recently, their run of three consecutive draws has impeded their quest to clinch their first Premier League title since 2004.
Despite sitting five points ahead of Manchester City at the summit of the league table, Arsenal faces an uphill task as Pep Guardiola’s men have two games in hand and are poised to host the Gunners at the Etihad Stadium in a game that could decide the title race.