Arsenal and Manchester City are going head-to-head in the Premier League title race with both clubs dealing with injury concerns
Arsenal and Manchester City are being forced to deal with several injury concerns as the international breaks nears its conclusion.
Both clubs will be gearing for the return of top-flight football, but will have to wait until next month before the Premier League title race resumes.
The Gunners and City are both in FA Cup quarter-final action this week, and will not return to Premier League matters until April 11, when Arsenal will host Bournemouth at the Emirates Stadium.
Mikel Arteta’s side have established a nine-point lead at the top of the table, but have played one game more than City, and will also be mindful of some injury concerns when they return after the international break.
Arsenal have had 10 players withdraw from their respective national team squads over the last week, with Martin Zubimendi the latest as he left the Spain camp over the weekend due to a knee issue.
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Piero Hincapie also returned to Arsenal over the weekend, as he left the Ecuador squad after suffering a suspected injury during a friendly against Morocco.
Declan Rice, Noni Madueke, and Bukayo Saka all withdrew from the England squad over the weekend. Rice and Saka did not feature in the draw with Uruguay on Friday, with Madueke suffering a potential injury in the first half at Wembley Stadium.
Gabriel Magalhaes (Brazil), William Saliba (France), Eberechi Eze (England), Leandro Trossard (Belgium), and Jurrien Timber (Netherlands) all returned to Arsenal early without featuring for their respective country, handing fresh concerns to the Gunners ahead of the final weeks of the title race.
Arsenal were also without Martin Odegaard and Mikel Merino through injury before the international break began, with both players absent for the Carabao Cup final defeat to City.
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The Gunners will hope to have Odegaard return to action soon after the international break, while Merino is expected to remain unavailable for the rest of the season.
Pep Guardiola at City will also be experiencing some injury worries ahead of the return of club football this weekend.
The latest concern for City came after John Stones left the England camp over the weekend with an injury picked up during training with the Three Lions squad.
“John Stones is returning to Manchester City for assessment after picking up an issue in training prior to Friday night’s 1-1 draw with Uruguay,” the statement from the FA read.
City were also without Josko Gvardiol and Ruben Dias for the Carabao Cup final against Arsenal earlier this month, with the defenders both on the sidelines with injuries.
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