A possible title decider comes too soon for Saka.
Bukayo Saka has been ruled out of Arsenal‘s potentially decisive clash with Premier League title rivals Manchester City by Mikel Arteta, who is giving no thought to setting his side up for a draw at the Etihad Stadium.
Arsenal still lead the title race by six points despite losing to Bournemouth at home last weekend, a result that was followed by City claiming a 3-0 win at Chelsea.
But City have the key advantage of a game in hand, meaning a victory for Pep Guardiola’s men would turn the fight firmly in their favour.
That is obviously a scenario Arsenal are desperate to avoid, but they will not be able to call on the services of Saka to help them deal what could be a telling blow as they aim to win the title for the first time since the ‘Invincibles’ season of 2003-04.
Saka ruled out of Man City v Arsenal
Saka has not played since Arsenal’s 2-0 defeat to City in the EFL Cup final on March 22 because of an Achilles issue.
Asked about Saka’s chances of a return in his pre-match press conference, Arteta said: “Bukayo is out, that is for sure. The rest, let’s see.
“Hopefully he recovers very soon because he is a tremendous player. He is starting to do some stuff, let’s see how quickly he can be with us.”
Saka’s continued absence could see Noni Madueke feature on the right wing again, provided the former Chelsea man can shake off an injury he suffered in Wednesday’s Champions League quarter-final with Sporting CP.
“We have another training session tomorrow. He didn’t look that bad after the game and he was quite positive,” Arteta said of Madueke. “He was a player that pushes through pain so I am hopeful that he will be available but we will have to wait and see if he will be available for tomorrow.”
Defender Jurrien Timber is a doubt with a groin issue, while captain Martin Odegaard is dealing with a knee issue and Riccardo Calafiori has a knock.
On that trio, Arteta said: “We will try again. Some players are quite close but the turnaround is short. We will try tomorrow to push everybody and if they are in good position they will be part of us but if they are not, they will not like they have not been for the past few weeks unfortunately.”
Arteta not thinking about draw
Guardiola said in his pre-match press conference that the title race would be over if Arsenal won at the Etihad, though that is not an assessment Arteta necessarily shares.
“I don’t know, there are six games to go, it is a really important one for both teams,” the Spaniard responded when Guardiola’s view was put to him.
“It will incline the balance a little bit but winning a game in the Premier League is so tough for everybody. After this one there are some very tough matches for all of us and we will have to wait and continue whatever happens.
“Winning at this stage, then you are a bit closer.
“If we win in the first game of the semi-final of the Champions League then we will be a bit closer that is for sure, and that is why we want to win the game on Sunday. That is clear.”
But Arteta was unequivocal that restoring the nine-point gap is the focus for the Gunners, insisting they have no interest in simply preserving the current advantage ahead of City’s trip to Burnley on Wednesday.
“We will not spend one second talking about that,” Arteta said of the possibility of a draw. “We prepare every game to win.
“We have earned the opportunity to win against arguably the best team and the best manager this league has ever seen. We will prepare the game to win it, that is for sure.”
