Fear Grips Gunners As William Saliba Is Still Set To Miss Man City Clash

Arsenal defender William Saliba is expected to miss Wednesday night’s vital Premier League encounter against Manchester City owing to his back injury.

Saliba’s status will be updated by Gunners manager Mikel Arteta in his pre-game press conference on Tuesday amid concerns the French defender may not return for the rest of the campaign.

Although Arsenal are constantly monitoring his condition, it appears like the trip to the Etihad Stadium may come too soon.

After leaving the field injured against Sporting Lisbon in their Europa League matchup last month, Saliba has gone on to miss Arsenal’s last five games.

The 22-year-old’s replacement, Rob Holding, has fit in well, but the Gunners haven’t managed to keep a clean sheet during that time.

They have given up nine goals, seven of which have come in the previous three games.

Furthermore, despite significant home victories over Leeds and Crystal Palace, Arteta’s team are currently on a run of three straight draws, which has jeopardized their odds of winning the league for the first time since 2004.

The Gunners still lead Man City by five points on the Premier League standings.

🚨 William Saliba WILL NOT be available to face Man City on Wednesday, after recent assessments have failed to show sufficient progress. The expectation is Saliba will also miss the match against Chelsea on May 2 amid increasing fears his campaign might be over. [@David_Ornstein] pic.twitter.com/F6eE67f99H

— afcstuff (@afcstuff) April 24, 2023

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However, Man City have two games in hand and will host the Gunners on Wednesday in a game that could decide the potential title winner.

Arsenal’s current slump has been marked by complacency, but Saliba’s injury absence has also been a major issue.

Before suffering a back injury, Saliba had started every Premier League game for Arsenal this season.

His absence is hurting the Gunners both offensively and defensively as they compete with Man City for the league crown.