Arsenal will need 'absolute perfection' to win at City, admits Arteta

Arsenal will need ‘absolute perfection’ to win at Man City, admits Mikel Arteta – but Gunners boss insists ‘the belief is there’ and they’re ‘going to show that’ in Premier League title showdown

• Man City host title rivals Arsenal in the Premier League on Wednesday night 
• City trail Arsenal by five points in the standings but have two games in hand

Mikel Arteta believes Arsenal will have to play the ‘perfect’ game to overcome champions Manchester City in Wednesday night’s title decider.

The Gunners boss – who confirmed his team will once again be without key defender William Saliba – will take his final training session ahead of Wednesday night’s crucial visit to the Etihad Stadium.

City are on course for a historic Treble and will take a huge step towards retaining their Premier League title with victory over current leaders Arsenal.

Pep Guardiola’s side are on a blistering run of form, winning 11 of their previous 12 matches in all competitions.

Arsenal, in contrast, have drawn their last three – conceding seven goals in the process – as their title challenge faltered.

Arsenal will need to have the ‘perfect’ performance to beat Man City, believes Mikel Arteta

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta knows Wednesday’s trip to City is a Premier League title decider

The Gunners sit top of the Premier League by five points, but City have two games in hand

But in a rallying cry to his players, Arteta has admitted his team will have to muster a flawless performance to edge out City.

‘Belief and psychology plays a huge part,’ said the Spaniard.

‘Obviously the belief is there. When I look at how they trained, how they react, the mood in the dressing room, how they’ve been defending each other in every moment.

‘We really want it and we’re going to show that again tomorrow night. Then you have to deliver in the right moment, the right performance and it has to be perfection because that’s what this last level demands – absolute perfection in every single ball.’

Mail Sport revealed on Monday that Arsenal have major concerns over Saliba’s lower back injury amid serious ‘structural damage’ which could result in a long-term lay off if he plays again this season.

He will miss the clash at City and most likely next week’s clash against Chelsea.

The nature of Saliba’s injury has not been fully communicated, though sources have told Mail Sport that the back problem is linked to painful ‘structural damage’ to his lower back that has also caused concern to one of his lumbar discs, although the club insist his prolonged absence is not as a result of a disc problem.

Arteta would not be drawn on whether the Saliba is suffering from a disc issue on Tuesday morning.

William Saliba suffered a back injury during Arsenal’s Europa League exit to Sporting Lisbon

Saliba was forced off the field and medics feared he may miss the rest of the campaign

When Saliba suffered the injury against Sporting Lisbon on March 16, the medics were so concerned that they feared he would miss the rest of the season.

But the defender has been desperate to play again given the fact his team are in the midst of a title race.

Saliba has undergone an intense treatment process in hope of getting him back on the pitch as soon as possible, with the club managing his recovery on a day-to-day basis.

Sources have indicated Saliba has returned to training on the grass in the last few days, raising hope that he could play some role in Wednesday’s huge clash against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.

‘There’s not been a real improvement unfortunately on him, so we’re still waiting,’ said Arteta.

‘We’re still hopeful, but another week has gone by and he hasn’t been able to train with the team.’

Asked if whether he is preparing for the remainder of the season without Saliba, Arteta added: ‘At the moment we don’t have him. We are preparing the game without him and probably the next game will come too soon as well. We have to go week by week at the moment.’

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