Arsenal are in a good run of form ahead of their encounter with Manchester City, but Arsene Wenger has injury and selection headaches ahead of him.
The two sides meet at the Etihad on Sunday, with the Premier League leaders looking to stretch the gap at the top of the standings while Arsenal continue to battle to keep up with the pack for a top four finish.
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Wenger’s side have won four of their last five games in all competitions, and after rotating his squad for the midweek Europa League meeting with Red Star Belgrade, he’ll hope to have confident, in-form and fresh players at his disposal for the most part.
However, as seen in the tweets below from freelance injury analyst Ben Dinnery, Arsenal are without injured trio Danny Welbeck, David Ospina and Shkodran Mustafi, as they all continue to work on their recoveries from various ailments.
Danny Welbeck and David Ospina are not far away “but the Man City game will come too early for them.” #AFC
— Ben Dinnery (@BenDinnery) November 3, 2017
The City is also “too early” for Mustafi. “We have to be a bit more patient. Normally all three should be available after the break.” #AFC
— Ben Dinnery (@BenDinnery) November 3, 2017
Ospina’s absence won’t hurt them too much as Petr Cech will start the game anyway, but not having Mustafi or Welbeck available for selection will be a disappointing blow for Wenger who will now hope to have them back after the international break.
It’s games like this one that ultimately lead to Arsenal being heavily criticised by pundits as they fall short in the clashes against direct rivals.
In turn, the Gunners will be desperate to produce what would be a shock for many by defeating Pep Guardiola’s side, but they’ll certainly have their hands full against the most prolific attack in the Premier League with City scoring 35 goals in 10 league games as they also remain unbeaten.