Mikel Arteta has prepared his Arsenal side for the trip to Manchester City with excellent defensive performances in their last two matches. Heading into the first meeting with Pep Guardiola's in-form champions, it has been back-to-back clean sheets for the Gunners.
The turn to a rock-solid foundation to build from was arguably forced on Arteta and Arsenal during the 4-1 defeat away to City at the end of the 2022/23 season. Now, with the tools to not only pounce on any mistakes from their opponents but also shut out some of the most dangerous players around, Arsenal head to Manchester in search of a first win at the Etihad Stadium since 2015.
Unsurprisingly it won't come easily though. Arsenal will be without a key group of players for the trip which not only impacts the starting XI but also the depth available.
The good news for Arteta is that having served his one-match suspension, Declan Rice is eligible once more. He returned to the team for the Champions League clash against Atalanta on Thursday.
Here, football.london has the latest from the Arsenal treatment room with all the injury updates.
Martin Odegaard
Injury: Ankle.
The Arsenal captain missed the North London derby win after suffering an ankle injury during the international break. He is set to be out for a while, although just how long is yet to be specified.
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He unsurprisingly did not play any part in training before Atalanta and didn't feature in the game.
What Mikel Arteta said: "After recent scans the scans showed that he’s got some damage especially on one of the ligaments in the ankle. We’re gonna miss him."
[Possible timeline?] I don’t want to do that because I’m not a doctor. But it’s something quite significant so we’re going to lose him for a while."
[Weeks or months?] "Hopefully not months but let’s see."
Possible return date: Unknown.
Mikel Merino
Injury: Shoulder.
Merino has not yet played for Arsenal after suffering a shoulder fracture in his first training session with the club before the international break. He initially wore a sling when seen at the Emirates Stadium and Sobha Realty Training Complex, but did not have the aid on during the team photo.
What Mikel Arteta has said: “Very unfortunate. Yesterday, he had a collision, and he has a shoulder injury. It looks like he's going to be out for a few weeks. He was really excited, and everything was looking really good. He landed on the floor, and Gabi landed on top of him, and it looks like he has a small fracture, probably."
Possible return date: Bournemouth (A) - October 19.
Oleksandr Zinchenko
Injury: Calf.
Zinchenko has been out since the international break after picking up a knock in the buildup to the North London Derby. He did not feature against Atalanta and hasn't been seen training ahead of the trip to City either.
Possible return date: Unknown.
Takehiro Tomiyasu
Injury: Knee.
The Japanese full-back has once more suffered another injury setback having missed large parts of last season. He is yet to feature this campaign.
What Arteta has said: “At the moment, it is difficult to say [when he will return]. It's a bit slow the process of the first phase of that injury. It's probably for the medical team to say more than that. He's not done any training yet."
Possible return date : Leicester City (H) - September 28.
Kieran Tierney
Injury: Hamstring.
Tierney was expected to leave Arsenal in the summer but picked up a damaging hamstring injury at the Euros with Scotland. He was included in the 25-man Premier League squad earlier this month. He is yet to return to training.
What Arteta has said: “"He needs to focus now on recovering in the best possible way. It’s been a tough time for him, with the last injury. We have to try to support him and make sure he comes back fit."
Possible return date: Unknown.
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