After having their advantage in the Premier League trimmed last week, Arsenal will be without a crucial element of their defense when they travel to West Ham.
Mikel Arteta has announced that William Saliba won't make his injury comeback when Premier League leaders Arsenal try to win at West Ham on Sunday.
Last time out, Arsenal lost two crucial points in the title race against Liverpool, when goals from Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino capped a stirring comeback by the visitors in a 2-2 draw.
The Gunners have not maintained a clean sheet since defender Saliba was hurt in last month's Europa League penalty shootout loss to Sporting CP, despite holding a six-point advantage over Manchester City at the top of the table.
With a back issue, Saliba has been absent from Arsenal's last three games and will be again on Sunday. However, Arteta will have striker Eddie Nketiah available for the first time since March 1.
William is still unavailable, according to Arteta. "We want to make him available in the coming weeks because he is making good progress, but we'll have to wait and see. Eddie is now fully recovered and in shape.
"Our guys should be as available and fit as they can be. Particularly over the past few months, there have been some problems involving certain key players.
"What we want is for everyone to be well and available to support the squad."
Arsenal was not thought to be a title contender going into the current season after losing fourth place to rivals Tottenham at the end of the previous one.
Arsenal might win their first league championship since the 2003–04 season with just eight games remaining, but Arteta won't let the Gunners take it easy.
When asked if he anticipated a title challenge early in his term, Arteta responded, "Absolutely. You proceed every day. At a football club, a lot happens every single day and every month.
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