Arsenal have reportedly been handed a major injury boost as it looks like Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Magalhaes are fit and available for section for today’s game away to Manchester City after all.
It remains to be seen if this means we’ll see all three of these players in Mikel Arteta’s starting line up later this afternoon, but it certainly seems encouraging for the Gunners as they look for a hugely important result at the Etihad Stadium.
We’re seeing an extremely close Premier League title race this season, with just a point separating Arsenal, Man City and Liverpool at the top of the table.
It is therefore crucial to win these head-to-head matches, and Arsenal wouldn’t have had much of a chance without important players like Saka, Martinelli and Magalhaes.
See below for an update on the situation from journalist Con Harrison…
Arsenal injury boost comes as Man City stars doubtful
This boost for Arsenal also follows some bad news for Manchester City, who are expected to be without both Kyle Walker and John Stones this afternoon, as reported by the Guardian and others.
Walker and Stones will be big losses for Pep Guardiola if they can’t make it, even if City’s squad is obviously one of the best in world football.
Even the deepest squads can struggle with a few key absences, and they don’t come much more important for City than Walker and Stones, with the unique qualities they bring to Guardiola’s defence, and with how they help the team go forward.
If Arsenal have a full squad to choose from, these injuries to City could perhaps shift them towards being slight favourites today, though their record away to City is very poor, with their last win there coming back in 2015 when Arsene Wenger was still in charge.