Arsenal confirm major injury boost but key man among 5 players out of Man City game

Arsenal have confirmed a major injury boost but Hector Bellerin is among five players who’ll miss Sunday’s clash with Manchester City.

Nicolas Pepe has been passed fit to take on the defending champions at the Emirates tomorrow afternoon after recovering from a minor knee injury that he sustained during Arsenal’s 3-1 win at West Ham last week.

However, that’s the only piece of positive news for boss Freddie Ljungberg as Bellerin has failed a late fitness test and will miss the visit of City with a hamstring injury that’s already kept him out for the past two games.

Arsenal have also confirmed that Kieran Tierney will undergo surgery on his dislocated shoulder next week and is facing around three months on the sidelines, which is a major blow for the Gunners.

Granit Xhaka will miss the Man City showdown on Sunday with concussion that he suffered at West Ham while Rob Holding is still nursing a knee injury that’s hampered him over the past few matches.

The final injury concern for Arsenal is Dani Ceballos but the midfielder is aiming to resume full training next week so he’s on the verge of making his comeback having missed the last six weeks with a hamstring injury.

An update on Arsenal.com read:

Hector Bellerin
Tight right hamstring. Will miss Manchester City (h). Aiming to resume training next week.

Dani Ceballos
Left hamstring. Sustained during the Vitoria SC (a) match on November 6. Will miss Manchester City (h). Aiming to return to full training next week.

Rob Holding
Left knee. Bruising to knee. Will miss Manchester City (h). Aiming to return to full training in the next two weeks.

Nicolas Pepe
Available for selection for Manchester City (h) after bruising to left knee sustained during West Ham United (a).

Kieran Tierney
Right shoulder. Dislocated right shoulder during West Ham United (a). Kieran will undergo surgery next week and will rehabilitate for around three months.

Granit Xhaka
Concussion. Sustained strike to the head from the ball during West Ham United (a). Will miss Manchester City (h) and will be managed as per concussion protocols.

Arsenal welcome City to the Emirates tomorrow with Ljungberg desperately needing a positive result as fourth-placed Chelsea can go 10 points clear with a win at home to Bournemouth this afternoon so the Gunners cannot afford to lose any more ground in the race for the top four.