Arsenal put their Premier League title ambitions on hold this evening as they continue their FA Cup campaign at Manchester City. The fixture will be the first meeting between the top two teams in England and will present Mikel Arteta's men an opportunity to test themselves.
The Gunners set-up their fourth round trip to the Etihad Stadium with an emphasis 3-0 victory over Oxford United after Pep Guardiola's men cruised past Chelsea. Tonight's game also provides an opportunity for Arteta to rest a number of his players after a hectic start to 2023.
There could be a first start for Emile Smith Rowe since his return from injury whilst Jakub Kiwior and Leandro Trossard will be hoping to earn their first outing from the off since their January moves.
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Ahead of the highly-anticipated clash, football.london takes a look at all the latest injury concerns Arteta has, with former City forward Gabriel Jesus still on the sidelines after injuring his knee during Brazil's World Cup campaign.
Mohamed Elneny
Elneny started last the FA Cup win over Oxford United and played the whole 90 minutes. However, the Egyptian was not included in Arteta's squad for the win at Tottenham, with the Gunners assessing a knee issue picked up in training ahead of the Tottenham clash, with no place on the bench to face Manchester United.
What Arteta has said: " "I don’t think he will be [available]," Arteta added. "He had some issues with his knee that we are assessing at the moment and we will have to see how he evolves in the next couple of days.
"There are concerns, especially [because he] is a player who never complains about anything. But let’s see."
Expected return date: N/A
Gabriel Jesus
Jesus suffered medial ligament damage whilst playing for Brazil against Cameroon in the World Cup group stages. The 25-year-old later returned to London to undergo surgery on his knee, with an expectation that he will be out for at least another month of footballing action.
Speaking to former UFC Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov at Emirates Stadium on Sunday, Jesus admitted he hopes to be back on the pitch in "four to five weeks".
Expected return date: February / March 2023.
What Arteta has said: "He’s progressing really well, he’s working really hard, he’s in the right place in terms of the time that we set for him, but he’s still a bit far.
"I’d like to see him very quickly but I don’t think it’s gonna happen. We’re gonna have to be patient with that one. But let’s see. It’s a complicated surgery, in any surgery, there are always a lot of things were you have to be cautious He’s a player that’s going to push to be really fast on the pitch."
Reiss Nelson
The extent of Nelson's hamstring injury is currently unknown, but Arteta admitted after the friendly with Juventus that it could be problematic.
A positive update has recently emerged with Nelson posting on his Instagram story where he is seen running on the treadmill.
What Arteta has said: "We don't know the extent of the injury. The fact that he had to leave the pitch straight away is not good news, especially with someone like Reiss who is really powerful and fast. Let's see what will happen. We know what we have to do and that doesn't change the plans [for the transfer window]."
Expected return date: Unknown.
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