Key absentees as eight players to MISS Manchester City vs Arsenal early title decider

Manchester City will host Arsenal at the Etihad this weekend in a highly anticipated match that some are already labeling as a crucial showdown for the title race, despite it only being the fourth game of the season.

Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta's sides have gone toe-to-toe over the past two seasons producing a pair of thrilling title races which the Cityzens have edged both times.

Both sides remain unbeaten early in the new season suggesting we could be in for yet another intense year-long battle between the two with both sides looking to gain some early momentum at the home of the champions on Sunday.

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Manchester City and Arsenal managing notable absentees

Injuries have become one of the biggest issues facing the modern game, with increased intensity and an ever-growing schedule making fitness issues a regular occurrence for Europe's biggest teams.

Manchester City and Arsenal have been no different in the early stages of the season.

City will be sweating on the fitness of key player Kevin De Bruyne after he was forced off at halftime in the goalless draw with Inter Milan on Wednesday.

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When asked about the Belgian's chances of making an appearance at the weekend, Guardiola told reporters: "I don't know. I will have more info [on Thursday]. The doctor said to me he was not ready to play [the second half]."

The knock comes as the latest setback plaguing the mercurial playmaker, having suffered four separate injuries last season keeping him out for a total of 40 games for club and country.

Elsewhere, Nathan Ake and Oscar Bobb remain sidelined with their respective issues, with Bobb looking unlikely to feature again before 2025 while Ake looks set for an October return.

Arsenal, meanwhile, have been rocked by issues for their own playmaker as Martin Odegaard suffered a potentially serious ankle injury on international duty which has kept him out of both of the Gunner's last two fixtures.

Arteta refrained from putting a time frame on his return, although estimates suggest a two-month layoff awaits the tricky Norwegian.

Both Bukayo Saka and Riccardo Calafiori overcame their respective issues to feature against Atalanta on Thursday, although new signing Mikel Merino remains sidelined by a shoulder injury picked up in training.

Oleksandr Zinchenko and Kieran Tierney's fitness issues have left Arsenal thinly spread at left-back, while the weekend's game has come too early for Takehiro Tomiyasu who edges closer to a return from a knee injury.

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