Arsenal could be without William Saliba for their season-defining Premier League tie against Manchester City, with the defender expected to be still recovering from a back injury.
According to the Evening Standard, the clash at the Etihad Stadium could come too soon for the France international as Arsenal look to have let the league title slip through their fingers after dropping more points this weekend against West Ham.
A 2-2 draw in east London now puts the title back in City’s hand, who sit four points behind Arsenal yet have a game in hand and already favourites to beat the Gunners in Manchester at the end of this month, with Saliba now expected to miss the match through injury.
Saliba’s injury might have cost Arsenal the Premier League title
Why Pele Is Overrated.
Saliba has been one of Arsenal’s players of the season, with the 21-year-old asserting himself as a powerhouse of a defender and the perfect partner to Gabriel Magalhaes, and the youngster’s absence against Liverpool and West Ham arguably led to the Gunners dropping four crucial points,
With the centre-back now expected to miss the trip to Manchester in just over a weeks time, Arsenal fans can make a good case that Saliba’s injury could go down as a key reason why Arteta’s side won’t win the Premier League title, with this latest update the last thing supporters wanted to hear.
Indeed, whilst Rob Holding started against City earlier in the season in the FA Cup, the intensity of this upcoming fixture will dwarf anything Arsenal felt in that particular game, and the English defender could find himself out-manned by the record-breaking Erling Haaland.
Arsenal will be praying for a miracle to now win the league title
Arsenal fans are elite when it comes to jumping the gun on essentially everything, yet with Saliba now expected to miss the clash against City, it’s hard to imagine just how the north London side go the distance with the Manchester giants for the Premier League title.
Guardiola’s side look imperious and in their element whilst cracks are starting to show in Arsenal’s game having led the last two games 2-0 and thrown them away to come away with a point each, and Saliba’s absence to face City could be a messy night for the north London side.