Arsenal handed huge triple Man City squad boost

Arsenal have a seriously tough job on their hands heading to the Etihad Stadium on Saturday to face reigning top-flight champions Manchester City without a goal or point to show from their opening two matches.

An opening day 2-0 defeat to Brentford was followed up by a home loss to Chelsea by the same scoreline. Mikel Arteta’s hopes of starting the campaign off as they had concluded the previous one were left in tatters.

While the mood has dropped massively, the mitigation for this poor beginning comes in the way of numerous injuries and COVID-19 absences.

Gabriel and Thomas Partey were the two primary absentees with knee and ankle problems respectively, while Pierre-Emerick Aubemayang, Alexandre Lacazette and Ben White have all missed parts of the first three fixtures through the coronavirus.

Arsenal handed triple Manchester City squad boost with Bukayo Saka and Kieran Tierney fit, while Ben White could be a surprise late inclusion – Kevin De Bruyne is out

Lifting spirits with a resounding 6-0 win over West Brom in the Carabao Cup second round in midweek, the returns of Aubameyang, a fully fit Bukayo Saka and Lacazette contributed towards a vastly improved display.

Martin Odegaard’s second debut for the club also played its part.

However, some rough challenges on the night saw Saka take a hefty knock, one that had him limping for the final stages. With Kieran Tierney already missing from the fixture after being forced off in the Chelsea defeat, it felt like a one in, one out scenario in the squad.

Fortunately for Arsenal, the pair have been passed fit to play City, as confirmed on the official Arsenal website.

"“Kieran is in full training and available for selection after suffering from cramps in his thigh during Sunday’s match and being rested for Wednesday’s match at West Bromwich Albion,” a statement read.“Bukayo is in full training and available for selection after taking a knock to his knee during Wednesday’s match.”"

As for the hosts, they will be without Kevin De Bruyne, who was not selected for the upcoming Belgian squads and has been ruled out of Saturday’s clash. It’s always beneficial to see the influential midfielder not in the opposition team sheet, but it’s hardly like they’re running low on other options.

Ilkay Gundogan, Bernardo Silva and Jack Grealish ensure his is a loss not too keenly felt.

In regards to White, is there some faint hope? The club stated that his ‘health and fitness will be continually monitored ahead of Saturday‘, which does hint that there is a chance he could be a late inclusion.

He wouldn’t have trained much, though, and he still isn’t with the group. It’s unlikely to say the least.