Arsenal's Premier League title ambitions continue this weekend with a tough trip to Liverpool. The Gunners sit eight points clear of Manchester City at the top of the table after winning their seventh straight league game on Saturday.
Despite their troubling season on the field, Liverpool remain a tough test for Mikel Arteta's side. The Merseysiders have lost ground on the race for a top-four finish after defeating Man United 7-0 last month and have failed to win in their last four games.
They come into this weekend's Easter Sunday clash at Anfield on the back of a 4-1 loss to Man City and a goalless draw with Chelsea on Tuesday night.
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Arsenal are understandably the favourites to be victorious against Jurgen Klopp's side. However, they continue to sweat on the fitness of William Saliba. The Frenchman has missed only two league games this season - the wins over Crystal Palace and Leeds - after limping off in the Europa League defeat to Sporting CP last month.
"He is progressing, unfortunately he still has some discomfort in his back. He’s not gonna be fit for this game and we’re trying to do everything to feel better, but not yet," Arteta said.
Despite the blow of being without the 22 year-old at the weekend, Arteta did provide a glimmer of hope regarding the possibility of Saliba featuring again this season. "Yeah, I am very hopeful and he is as well," Arteta added.
"Back injuries are a bit tricky and how they evolve with the load that you put in certain areas. Let's push it and see how he copes with that. He's so willing to be back in the team."
Should Saliba continue to be unavailable for selection, it's likely that Rob Holding will retain his place in Arteta's defence. The defender has filled in for his teammate rather well in the last two games and will be tasked with keeping Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah quiet.
Elsewhere, Arteta continues to be without striker Eddie Nketiah. The Hale Ender has been sidelined since the 4-0 win over Everton at the start of March. "He's still in the boot. He's still a few weeks away and we need to be patient, the Spaniard said.
"It was a nasty injury and he has a big challenge ahead of him. Thank God it could have been worse. So he's not in a bad place."
Bukayo Saka (illness) and Ben White (slight knock) are both expected to be fine despite suffering with problems against Leeds. Both players featured in the win last weekend and there have been no signs that they will miss out.
Takerhiro Tomiyasu and Mohamed Elneny remain sidelined with long-term injuries and are both expected to miss the rest of the season.
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