Man City sent Bukayo Saka warning after Pep Guardiola confirms injury blow for Arsenal clash

Martin Keown has warned that the absence of Nathan Ake could open the door for Bukayo Saka when Manchester City host Arsenal in a crucial Premier League clash.

City welcome Mikel Arteta's men to the Etihad on Wednesday evening in what could be a season-defining fixture in the title race. Pep Guardiola's side are five points off top-spot but have two games in hand on their rivals, knowing a win would take them one step closer to retaining their title.

But the Blues suffered a blow on Tuesday when Guardiola confirmed Nathan Ake will miss the clash and is a doubt for the Champions League semi-final with Real Madrid. The Dutchman suffered a hamstring problem in the 1-1 draw against Bayern Munich last week.

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Ake has been a crucial part of City's defensive success in recent weeks but will be absent at the worst possible time, with Arsenal's dangerman Saka set to start on the right on Wednesday. And Keown believes it could be great news for the Gunners.

"To understand how unpredictable Guardiola is as a tactician, you only need to look at the last time these teams met in a 3-1 Premier League win for City in February," Keown wrote in his Daily Mail column.

"Bernardo Silva started the game at left back but finished it as a right winger! That was a big ask for Silva as he was tasked with dealing with Arsenal's two most dangerous players in Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard in swapping between defence to midfield.

"Once Guardiola made a mid-match switch, moving Nathan Ake to left-back, City improved.

"Ake slapped the handcuffs on Saka that day, as he did in City's FA Cup win a month earlier. It is a huge blow for City that Ake is injured but good news for Saka."

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