Bukayo Saka In Race Against Time To Be Fit For Arsenal's Big Clash Against Manchester City

Arsenal take on Manchester City this Sunday afternoon at the Emirates Stadium in what is one of the most anticipated games of the season. Many believe these are the two teams who will be battling out for the Premier League this season.

Arsenal managed to compete with Manchester City last season, spending a long period at the top of the table, but Mikel Arteta's side could not quite get over the line and allowed Manchester City to overtake them and win a third successive Premier League title.

Arsenal will feel better about their title aspirations this season due to strengthening the squad with transformative signings such as Declan Rice and the squad being more experienced as a group. Arsenal's dropped points last season included defeats home and away against Manchester City, so getting a positive result on Sunday will go a long way to helping their title ambitions.

Arsenal may have to face Pep Guardiola's side without star man Bukayo Saka, as the winger worryingly limped off in the first half of Arsenal's 2-1 UEFA Champions League defeat to Lens on Tuesday. This was Saka's third game in a row where he did not complete the 90 minutes due to feeling discomfort, with knocks having forced him off in recent games fixtures against Tottenham Hotspur and Bournemouth.

After the defeat to Lens, Mikel Arteta explained the decision to take off Saka after just 34 minutes, explaining: "He tried to backheel a ball in the first half and felt something muscular. He felt uncomfortable to carry on so we had to take him off. We don't know anything more. It was big enough not to allow him to continue to play the game and that's a worry for us."

Saka has also been dealing with fatigue for a while as he has started in 87 consecutive league games for Arsenal, with May 2021 being the last time he did not feature in a Premier League game. There have been calls by many for Arteta to allow Saka to be rested every now and again to preserve his fitness and not have him suffer from burnout.

Despite these injury worries, Saka has been included in the latest England squad for their upcoming friendly against Australia and Euro 2024 qualifier against Italy.

England boss Gareth Southgate spoke on the decision to include Saka in his squad by saying: "There are certain key games where, if it's possible to have your best players, then you do want to have them. So we've got that responsibility of qualifying for the country but, I've been a player. I've never ever taken a risk on a player's physical well-being. And nor would I."

Saka will be a game-time decision on Sunday and is set to be given every opportunity to be fit for his side's crucial game.

Arteta clarified this in his pre-match press conference on Friday afternoon, commenting: "He (Saka) is in contention. Let's see how he progresses from here to Sunday. He had to leave the pitch and that's never good news but let's see how he recovers."

When asked about Saka's inclusion in England's latest squad, Arteta's response was: "He (Southgate) needs to make the best decision for the national team and I'm not going to get involved there."

Arsenal could also be without forward Gabriel Martinelli for Sunday's massive game, as the Brazilian has been on the sidelines since suffering a hamstring injury against Everton a few weeks ago. It is doubtful he will return to the side for the weekend's fixture.

Regarding Manchester City, they will be without the suspended Rodri, as he serves out the final game of his three-match suspension. The midfielder was sent off against Nottingham Forest after he got into a physical altercation with Morgan Gibbs-White and received a straight red card.

Manchester City will also be without centre-back John Stones, despite the player being named in England's latest squad. Stones last played in the Community Shield in August against Arsenal and he will have to wait until after the upcoming international break to feature for Guardiola's side.

Manchester City will be looking to bounce back in the Premier League after losing 2-1 to Wolves last weekend. Guardiola's side did manage to win in the Champions League on Wednesday against RB Leipzig, as they defeated the Bundesliga side 3-1 away from home.

Arsenal remain one of the two unbeaten teams in the Premier League this season, the other being their local rivals, Tottenham, so they will be confident going into Sunday's game at the Emirates Stadium. This will apply especially if Saka is able to play a part in the game as he remains one of their best and most effective assets.