Man City vs Arsenal: Bukayo Saka, Kyle Walker, Kevin De Bruyne Among Injury Concerns Ahead of Clash

Man City vs Arsenal: Bukayo Saka, Kyle Walker, Kevin De Bruyne Among Injury Concerns Ahead of Clash

Joel Reyes
updated at March 25, 2024 at 5:13 AM
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  • Manchester City and Arsenal will square off in the Premier League this coming Sunday
  • Both clubs have several injury concerns ahead of their much-anticipated showdown
  • Bukayo Saka pulled out of the England squad for their pair of friendlies due to injury

The Premier League lead will be at stake this weekend, with Manchester City and Arsenal squaring off at the Etihad Stadium.

Fans of both clubs face an anxious wait, with some of their key stars dealing with injuries ahead of the top-of-the-table clash.

Sports Brief looks at City and Arsenal's injury concerns before Sunday's much-anticipated matchup.

Bukayo Saka, Kyle Walker, Kevin De Bruyne, Manchester City, Arsenal, Ederson, Premier League, Gabriel Martinelli
Arsenal's Bukayo Saka, and Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne and Kyle Walker, are dealing with injuries ahead of their Premier League showdown. Images: James Gill/ Adam Davy/ Chris Brunskill.
Source: Getty Images

Arsenal's injury concerns

Bukayo Saka

Saka is in a race against time to be fit for the clash against Manchester City after suffering a "minor muscle problem" during the international break.

The issue emerged when the 22-year-old winger suddenly withdrew from the England squad for their friendly matches against Brazil and Belgium, per the BBC.

He has since returned to Arsenal for continued rehabilitation, according to a statement by the FA. He has been a vital cog for the Gunners this season, scoring a total of 16 goals, 13 of which came in the Premier League.

Gabriel Martinelli

Martinelli's status for the match against Man City remains uncertain after suffering a foot injury. He missed the Gunners' last two games, with Martinelli seen to be walking on crutches after their match against Brentford.

He suffered a gash to his foot during Arsenal's win over Sheffield United earlier this month and had to be substituted. He hasn't played a game for the Gunners since.

Gabriel Magalhaes

He was called up by Brazil for their friendlies against England and Spain but was taken out by the team due to an Achilles issue he has been dealing with for some time now.

He is expected to be available for the game against Manchester City, with his withdrawal just a precautionary measure.

Manchester City's injury concerns

Kevin De Bruyne

The injury bug has struck De Bruyne again. The Belgian midfielder returned to the sidelines after suffering a minor groin injury, an issue Pep Guardiola said he was already dealing with in the match against Liverpool.

He missed the Premier League game against Brighton as a result and was also left out by Belgium for their international friendlies against Ireland and England.

The hope now for City is that the long international break will be enough for De Bruyne to recover and be available for the game against Arsenal.

Kyle Walker

Walker added his name to Man City's long list of injury concerns for the Arsenal clash after he came off injured in England's friendly match against Brazil.

The 33-year-old was forced off in the first half, picking up the injury after he sprinted back to clear the goal-bound effort of Vinícius Júnior, per ESPN.

Walker needed treatment on his left leg shortly after his goal-line clearance. He was eventually replaced by Aston Villa's Ezri Konsa.

He remained hopeful that the injury was nothing serious and that he would be back ASAP, updating fans with a post on social media.

Ederson

Ederson has not played for Manchester City since suffering a thigh injury in the match against Liverpool. He picked up the thigh issue when he fouled Darwin Nunez inside the box and had to be replaced after the spot kick was taken.

Guardiola gave a promising update about the goalkeeper's condition, saying that 'he is getting better' and 'hopefully he'll be ready after the international break'.

Manchester City vs. Arsenal preview

Sports Brief has also recently previewed the Man City vs. Arsenal match.

The Gunners have been on fire, winning their last eight league matches.

City will be tough to beat at the Etihad Stadium, given current figures.

Authors
Joel Reyes photo
Joel Reyes
Joel Reyes is a sports editor at Sportsbrief.com with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of the Philippines. He has eight years of work experience in sports writing.