8 players who could miss Man City vs Arsenal as Mikel Arteta deals with injury blow

Arsenal and Manchester City will be forced to deal with injury concerns going into this weekend’s Premier League clash.

The Gunners travel to the Etihad Stadium on Sunday afternoon for a top-of-the-table clash against City.

Before then, Arsenal take on Atalanta this evening (Thursday) in the first league phase fixture of the Champions League.

Mikel Arteta will be hoping to secure three points in the game, but also get out of Bergamo with no further injury concerns.

Arsenal will be without club captain Martin Odegaard for the game due to an ankle injury. The midfielder suffered the injury while on international duty with Norway, and Arteta confirmed this week that Odegaard has sustained ligament damage and is set for a spell on the sidelines.

Mikel Merino is also expected to miss the game after the summer signing suffered a shoulder injury during his first training session. The same applies to Takehiro Tomiyasu who is yet to feature this season with a knee injury, while there has also been no Kieran Tierney this term due to a hamstring injury.

Oleksandr Zinchenko missed the victory over Tottenham Hotspur in the North London Derby due to a calf injury. It remains to be seen if the left-back will return to the squad against Atalanta.

There is optimism, though, that Riccardo Calafiori could make his return from a leg injury in the match against Atalanta. Bukayo Saka is also expected to be available, with the England international joining Calafiori in taking part in Arsenal training on Wednesday.

City will also be forced to deal with some injury concerns for the match against the Gunners. Pep Guardiola will be waiting for an update on Kevin De Bruyne’s fitness after the midfielder was withdrawn at half-time during City’s draw with Inter Milan in the Champions League on Wednesday night.

De Bruyne appeared to be in some discomfort during the first half before being substituted at the interval. Guardiola will likely provide an update on the midfielder’s fitness on Friday.

Nathan Ake is also a fitness concern for City, with the defender suffering a thigh injury while on international duty with the Netherlands. The defender has not featured in any of City’s last two matches and is expected to be sidelined for a few weeks.

Oscar Bobb is another City player who will not be involved in the match against Arsenal. Bobb suffered a fractured leg in August and was given a timeframe of three to four months for a return.