Arsenal are sweating over some key injuries in the coming week ahead of their clash against Southampton in the Premier League on Friday night. The Gunners are looking to bounce back from consecutive draws after taking a 2-0 lead against both Liverpool and West Ham, only to throw it away and darw 2-2 on both occasions.
It has seen the side's lead at the top of the division cut from eight points down to just four, with Manchester City holding both a game in hand and a head-to-head clash. It puts the team in a precarious position, though it is still in their hands to get the job done by late May.
"For the race of the title, I have no idea," Mikel Arteta said when asked how significant the past week or so has been on the title race. "Just as I had no idea seven weeks ago, or 12 weeks ago, or what will happen in three weeks. My biggest task is to go again and train really well and on Friday play in the same level that we played in the first 35 minutes against a team that is fighting for their lives, or against Liverpool, but do it for much longer periods."
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Ahead of the game with Southampton, there are two key injury concerns that the side are battling with, that being both William Saliba and Oleksandr Zinchenko. The former has been out with a back problem he suffered against Sporting CP in the Europa League, with a return date unknown at this stage.
The latter suffered a slight muscle issue and was rested against the Hammers as a precaution to avoid aggravating a worse injury. "We assessed him and he wasn’t fit enough to play, and that’s why we have good players like Kieran to replace him," Arteta said in the Ukrainian's absence.
However, according to the Daily Mail, the defender looks set to return against Southampton, with the newspaper claiming the Gunners are "optimistic" over his chances to feature.
Zinchenko was spotted pitchside before the game at the London Stadium as well as in the stands, cheering on his side during the game.
It remains to be seen how much he may feature against the Saints if he is cleared as fit to play, although his influence on the side since joining from current champions and title rivals Man City has been clear.
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