Mikel Arteta has officially ruled Bukayo Saka out of Arsenal’s Premier League title clash against Manchester City on Sunday, April 19, 2026.
The England international has not featured since the Carabao Cup final and has failed to recover in time for the trip to the Etihad Stadium. His absence is a major setback as Arsenal prepares for one of the biggest matches of the season.
As shared by Fabrizio Romano on official X handle, Arteta confirmed:
Fabrizio Romano reported;
Mikel Arteta: “Bukayo Saka will be out against Man City”.
“He’s starting to do some stuff, so let’s see that progression, how quickly we can go through it and then wait. But at the moment he’s not available”.
This update comes shortly after Arteta praised his team’s strength following their Champions League semi-final qualification against Sporting CP. Arsenal managed to progress despite missing key players, including Saka, Martin Odegaard, and Jurrien Timber.
Softfootball believes this same fighting spirit will be needed again on Sunday. The title race is now at a critical stage after Pep Guardiola described the match as a “final,” following Arsenal’s recent defeat to AFC Bournemouth which reduced their lead to six points.
Arteta remains confident that his squad can find solutions and deliver a strong performance. Arsenal has shown before that they can beat City even without Saka, giving fans some hope ahead of the clash.
Arsenal will travel to Manchester this Sunday at 4:30 PM BST in a match that could decide the title race. While talks over a new contract for Saka are progressing well, he will miss this key game and is expected to return later. The team will then shift focus to their Champions League semi-final against Atletico Madrid.
