Arsenal took another step towards their first Premier League title in 19 years over the weekend with an emphatic 4-1 victory over Leeds United.
The win ensured the Gunners maintained their eight point advantage over Manchester City heading into their final nine games of the season. While Pep Guardiola's side do have a game in hand, Arsenal continue to prove their doubters wrong on a weekly basis.
Mikel Arteta will now welcome an eight-day break before they travel to Liverpool for another crucial fixture. The Reds will provide a tough test at Anfield despite their 4-1 drubbing of Man City on Saturday.
READ MORE: How many points Arsenal need to claim Premier League title after Man City's win over Liverpool
The Gunners will be hoping to welcome back one of their best performers of the season in William Saliba for the trip to Merseyside. 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."
Elsewhere, Arsenal welcomed back Martin Odegaard and Thomas Partey to the starting XI after the pair provided minor scares during the international break. Odegaard was on the receiving end of a tough challenge from Man City's Rodri in Norway's 3-0 loss to Spain.
Partey missed Ghana's 1-1 draw with Angola last Monday as a precaution and there were concerns that he would miss the game. However, the midfielder played a full hour at the Emirates Stadium before being replaced by Jorginho.
Striker Eddie Nketiah missed the win over Leeds, though. The Hale Ender hasn't played since the 4-0 win over Everton over a month ago, with Arteta saying at the time: "He's still in the boot. He's still a few weeks away and we need to be patient.
"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."
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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