Arsenal FC hosts Manchester City on Sunday in what is no doubt the headliner fixture of the weekend in world football. Both teams have a new fitness concern, as No. 1 goalkeeper David Raya is a strong doubt for Arsenal. On the other side, winger Jeremy Doku is a fresh addition to the treatment room, and he’ll be on the injured list for awhile.
“He certainly could not play; he is injured, and that is it. Let’s see how it goes [for this weekend],” Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta said of David Raya last night.
Arsenal FC vs Manchester City FYIs
Kickoff: Sun. Feb. 2, 4:30pm, Emirates Stadium
Team News: Arsenal FC Manchester City
Starting XI Predictions: Arsenal FC Manchester City
Google Result Probability: Arsenal FC 46% Manchester City 27% Draw 27%
PL Standing: Arsenal FC 2nd, 47 pts Manchester City 4th, 41 pts
PL Form: Arsenal FC WDWDW Manchester City WWDWW
Arsenal vs Man City Team News
Raya missed the Champions League win over Girona with what is an unspecified injury. That is all we know at this point. Arteta is notoriously secretive about injury information. Meanwhile Takehiro Tomiyasu is moving closer towards a return, with Ben White only a couple weeks behind him. Obviously, the done-for-the-season (ACL) Gabriel Jesus will not get to face his former team here.
Shifting gears to City, manager Pep Guardiola said the following, ahead of last night’s Champions League win over Club Brugge: “A while… I don’t know how much, but he won’t be ready for Wednesday.” Doku is also out with an undisclosed/unspecified injury.
You can easily see where Arteta got his tendency to be stealthy about injury news.
Elsewhere Oscar Bobb is moving closer towards an injury return while Ruben Dias is a week or two behind him.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.