Arsenal injured William Saliba ahead of Liverpool clash as key player out
Arsenal received a blow to William Saliba ahead of their clash with Liverpool.
Mikel Arteta's side travel to Anfield on Saturday hoping to take another step towards the Premier League title with a win over Jurgen Klopp's men.
Meanwhile, Liverpool will be eager to bounce back from a humiliating 4-1 loss to Manchester City at the weekend as they watch for a late attempt to finish in the top four.
However, the Gunners will be without 21-year-old defender Saliba, who has been dropped from the competition.
Saliba injury update
Saliba has had a stellar season at the Emirates, forming a formidable partnership with Gabriel Magalhaes at the heart of defence. However, the Frenchman limped through injury during Arsenal's Europa League loss to Sporting Lisbon on 16 March after landing awkwardly on his back, and has not played for the club since from that.
Prior to his injury, Saliba had started every game of the season but has now missed consecutive 4-1 wins over Crystal Palace and Leeds, with Rob Holding coming on at centre-back.
According to The Sun, having been unable to train for more than two weeks, Saliba is currently preparing to miss the team's trip to Merseyside.
However, Arteta recently spoke positively about the injury, ruling out the possibility of surgery.
The Spaniard said: “The back injury is complicated but William and the medical staff are very positive about it and he is very happy to return to the national team. Arsenal's clash with Liverpool marks the first of three tough games in April.
The Gunners will host fellow title rivals Manchester City at the Etihad before hosting Chelsea three days later, in a schedule that will surely determine who lifts the trophy in August.
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Chelsea fired their manager on Sunday night, played one game on Tuesday night, then another on Saturday, and played two more next week.
They don't have time to sit and think about what happens next – they need to find a successor quickly.
Julien Nagelsmann is out of work as he soon becomes a favorite, and tonight's updates from German insider Florian Plettenberg are extremely positive in that regard.
He says talks are "ongoing" and "everything is going well", although there is "no final decision" from Chelsea on whether he is the man they want. They needed to talk to a few candidates, and Nagelsmann was just getting started. After missing their last date, Todd Boehly et al. will want to do this well and they shouldn't rush into a few matches over the next few weeks if it leads to another bad decision.
Better to cancel this season than make a hasty decision that could cost us in the long run.
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