Mikel Arteta has been handed a huge injury blow ahead of Arsenal's clash against Manchester City. Pep Guardiola's side will welcome the Gunners to the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday night – and it's set to be a winner-takes-all title decider.
The reigning champions head into the meeting five-points adrift of Arsenal, who currently sit top of the Premier League table. A win for Arteta's side will provide them some much-needed breathing room, while a victory for City will deliver huge blow to the north Londoners' hopes of hanging on.
In what is a blockbuster tie, the Gunners will likely be without William Saliba. Arsenal have certainly felt the Frenchman's absence lately with Rob Holding yet to impress.
Doubt has also been cast over Granit Xhaka too which would be another devastating setback. With that said, football.london has rounded up the latest injury news from London Colney.
Granit Xhaka
Xhaka was missing from the starting line-up against Southampton and his absence was felt in the final-third. The Switzerland international was unavailable due to illness and it remains to be seen whether he will be available once again for the next match.
What Arteta has said: "This morning unfortunately Granit [Xhaka] wasn’t feeling well so we had to get him out of the squad."
Expected return date: Man City (A) - Wednesday, April 26
William Saliba
Saliba limped off in Arsenal's exit from the Europa League against Sporting CP, suffering an issue with his back that forced the youngster to be substituted. The defender has missed the last few games and he's a major doubt for the clash against City – in fact, The Athletic have reported he will definitely be unavailable.
What Arteta has said: "Regarding William [Saliba], we still have to wait a little bit more. He is not progressing as quick as we hoped. It’s a bit delicate and we want to be very certain when we push him that he is ready to absorb the load and the risk that we will take and at the moment that’s not possible to do."
"I don’t know [if it's season ending], it’s a bit early to do [predictions]. Probably next week we are going to have more certainty. There is some evolution, he is doing more activity, but he is not there yet to start to throw him on the pitch at the level that the sessions demand to compete in this league."
Takehiro Tomiyasu
Takehiro Tomiyasu was substituted inside the first ten minutes of the Gunners' clash against Sporting CP at the Emirates Stadium. The Japanese defender had overstretched for a tackle early in the match and had to receive treatment on the pitch shortly afterwards and was unable to continue.
The Japan international wasn't in the squad to face Crystal Palace, with it later confirmed he had undergone knee surgery. Now the medical staff have learned the extent of the defender's injury.
An official club statement read: "Tomi has had successful surgery in London on Tuesday and will be ruled out for the remainder of this season. Everyone at the club will now be working hard with Tomi, so he can join pre-season training ahead of next season."
What Arteta has said: "We don’t know. The doctor is assessing. We have one assessment and I think they need to have another assessment tomorrow. It’s not looking good. Tomi is not one to exaggerate things. He was really concerned straight away and we are concerned."
Expected return date: June
Mohamed Elneny
Elneny started in the FA Cup win over Oxford United and played the whole 90 minutes. However, the Egyptian was absent for Arteta's squad for the 2-0 win at Tottenham, with a knee issue picked up in training ahead of the clash being assessed. Additionally, there was no place on the bench to face Manchester United.
A club statement then confirmed that the former Basel man will be out for an extended period of time, although no timescale was given on his expected return. Elneny has since penned a new deal at Arsenal as he closes in on a return.
Expected return date: Unknown
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