William Saliba raises injury concerns for Arsenal ahead of the Aston Villa match.

William Saliba has emerged as a potential doubt for Arsenal’s Saturday night clash against Aston Villa.

The French defender has been pivotal for the Gunners this season, playing full matches in all but two of their Premier League games. His solid partnership with Gabriel in central defense has contributed to Arsenal achieving the league’s best defensive record. However, Saliba appeared to suffer a suspected hamstring issue late in Arsenal’s 2-1 victory over Tottenham on Wednesday.

Concerns grew on Friday when Saliba was absent from Arsenal’s final training session ahead of the Villa game. Manager Mikel Arteta remained tight-lipped about the situation, saying:

“We have a few decisions to make this afternoon with the medical staff to determine whether they are fit for this game or the next one. We’ll decide that.”

If Saliba is unavailable, Jakub Kiwior, who trained on Friday, could partner Gabriel in defense. Arsenal’s defensive options are already stretched, with Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu injured and Riccardo Calafiori still not expected to feature after missing the Tottenham match.

The Gunners are four points behind league leaders Liverpool, and Arteta anticipates a tough challenge against Villa, who are pushing for a top-four spot.

“They are performing very well with an excellent coach, good players, and strong organization. Tomorrow, we’ll have to be at our best to win,” Arteta stated.

Reflecting on Villa’s quality and their previous victory over Arsenal last season, he added:

“They proved to be difficult opponents at Villa Park, and we must prepare thoroughly to win this time. These moments are crucial, and we need to capitalize on them to stay in contention for the to

p trophies.”