Arsenal could be without two key defenders for their crunch Premier League clash with Man City next week.
The Gunners lead Pep Guardiola's side by four points at the top of the table. Mikel Arteta's men could extend that advantage on Friday night with a win over bottom-of-the-table Southampton.
City are not in league action this weekend as they take on Sheffield United in the last four of the FA Cup on Saturday. It means the Blues' next league match is the Etihad Stadium visit of Arsenal next week, a match which Guardiola labelled a decider in the wake of his side's win over Leicester City last weekend.
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Both City and Arsenal have the title in their own hands by virtue of playing each other but Wednesday's game will change that equation, and the Gunners could be missing key players at the back for the contest.
William Saliba is an almost certain absentee, while former City man Oleksandr Zinchenko is also a doubt. Speaking on Thursday on the injury latest at the Emirates ahead of the game with the Saints, Arteta said of Saliba: “He is not progressing as quick as we hoped.
“It is a bit delicate and we want to be very certain when we push him that he is ready to absorb the load and the risk that we will take. At the moment, that is not possible to do.”
Asked whether it could be a season-ending injury, the Gunners boss said: “I don’t know. It is a bit early to do [predictions]. Probably next week we are going to have more certainty. There is some evolution, he is doing more activity. But he is not there yet to start to throw him on the pitch at the level that the sessions demand, to compete in this league.”
On Zinchenko, Arteta added: "We will see with that one as well. It’s not certain. It’s a muscular injury and it needs some time to heal, and we are not there yet."
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