ARSENAL will be without Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang for the Carabao Cup clash against Manchester City.
The struggling striker, 31, sat out of his side’s 2-1 defeat to Everton on Saturday with a calf injury.
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Mikel Arteta has now confirmed that Aubameyang will not be fit for the quarter-final on Tuesday.
He said: “Auba is not fit tomorrow, that’s for sure.
“[He] is feeling much better. He was more positive yesterday [Sunday] than in the previous two days.
“He will have another scan in the next few days and we will see how quickly we can get him back into the team.
“He knows how important he is for us, he feels the responsibility and he is trying his best to be fit as quick as possible.”
Aubameyang’s absence will come as a huge blow for the Gunners – who are 15th in the top-flight after 14 games.
Arteta could opt to give rising star Folarin Balogun the chance to lead the line for Arsenal against City.
The 19-year-old has not made a single appearance in the Premier League for the Gunners.
Folarin Balogun could make a rare start for the GunnersCredit: Reuters
But Balogun has always produced the goods when he has been called upon by Arteta.
He scored during the 4-2 win over Dundalk in the Europa League earlier this month.
English ace Balogun could start up top with Alexandre Lacazette sitting just behind him.
Bukayo Saka and Nicolas Pepe are expected to start out wide, but Reiss Nelson is another option.
Gabriel Magalhaes is expected to return to the starting XI after serving his ban.
But Granit Xhaka is unavailable as he will be serving the third game of his suspension.
Midfield star Thomas Partey remains out of action with a thigh injury.
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
