Arsenal have a massive trip to Manchester City tomorrow.
Mikel Arteta’s side are gearing up to visit the Premier League champions, hoping for a first win this season.
The Gunners did beat West Brom 6-0 on Wednesday but back-to-back league defeats by Brentford and Chelsea make Pep Guardiola’s side huge favourites at the Etihad Stadium.
One reason Arsenal could struggle is the continued absence of Ben White.
He missed the defeat by Chelsea last weekend after returning a positive test for the coronavirus.
And sadly for the North Londoners, Arteta has confirmed that he remains unavailable for selection.
He said: “He’s asymptomatic. He’s been feeling good and as quick as we can, we’re going to bring him back to training and start to play games with us again.”
Big blow
Even without a star striker in their ranks, City could still go to town against Arsenal without White.
Guardiola’s side thumped Norwich City 5-0 last time around and with Gabriel Magalhaes also a doubt, it could be grisly for Arteta and co.
The Spanish manager is likely to continue with Rob Holding and Pablo Mari in the centre-back positions.
And given how Brentford exposed Mari two weeks ago, it is a tad ominous for the former Flamego defender, it has to be said.
That being said, don’t underestimate the importance of Arsenal having Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang available again.
The Gabon international scored a hat-trick in the win over the Baggies in midweek, perhaps a sign that he’s hungry again after netting only 15 times in all competitions last season.
Being without White is a big blow, after spending £50 million on him this summer, but Aubameyang’s return is a bit of a boost.
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