Arsenal trio ‘racing’ to be fit for Manchester City showdown – Status described as ‘touch and go’

Manchester City could face an Arsenal side without three of their key names on Sunday afternoon, according to a new report on Mikel Arteta’s side and it’s fitness status.

The Premier League heavyweights go head-to-head in the north-west this weekend hoping to record a statement victory that could give them the motivation to go on and claim the title come the end of the season.

Manchester City are more than experienced in these kind of situations, and will almost certainly not be getting carried away, while Pep Guardiola’s side are also competing for two other titles alongside their top-flight exploits.

While some believe there could be very little to separate the two teams this weekend, one factor that could affect the swing of the contest is the availability of first-team stars, with a number of names already in doubt due to ongoing injury and fitness issues.

According to the information of ‘AFCAMDEN’ reporting on the Arsenal side of things on X, all of Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, and Gabriel Magalhães are ‘racing to be fit’ for Sunday afternoon’s contest against Manchester City.

The situation concerning all three names is being described by the report as ‘touch and go’ as to whether any of the three could make it in time for the meeting at the Etihad Stadium against Pep Guardiola’s reigning champions.

As for Manchester City, Pep Guardiola has been forced to come to terms with two defensive issues during the ongoing international break, with Kyle Walker the first to withdraw due to a hamstring problem sustained against Brazil.

Elsewhere and Manuel Akanji has also exited the Switzerland camp early, prior to their final friendly contest against Ireland on Tuesday evening, with the problem being described as a ‘knock’.

In the meantime, Jack Grealish and Kevin De Bruyne have been consistent in their training ground activities at the City Football Academy during the international break, and both players are in contention to make the weekend’s contest in some capacity.

It remains unknown as to whether the contest has come too early for Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson, while Stefan Ortega Moreno awaits news on whether he will be called-up to action against the Gunners.