Arsenal star Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to miss Manchester City game

Arsenal forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will miss the Premier League clash against Manchester City on New Year’s Day after reporting for international duty with Gabon, The Athletic reports.

The 32-year-old has not featured in the last five games for the Gunners following a disciplinary breach. In this period, he has also been stripped of captaincy, and there is speculation over his future.

It is now confirmed that he has joined Gabon ahead of their African Cup of Nations campaign. He could be out for the whole of January if the west African nation progress beyond the group stage.

Gunners boss Mikel Arteta has remained tightlipped over Aubameyang’s position. Any decision over the forward’s future is likely to be delayed until his return from AFCON.

The north London club have suffered a setback ahead of the Cityzens clash with Arteta testing positive for coronavirus.

They face a difficult task against the reigning English champions, and their challenge will become tougher with Arteta absent from the dugout at the Emirates Stadium on January 1.

Pep Guardiola’s side have been dominant in the league meetings over the past few years. They have won the last nine encounters where the Gunners have scored just two goals.

It appears an uphill task ahead of the New Year’s Day encounter. It remains to be seen whether the Gunners can defy odds with a strong performance to end the wretched streak.

They have had the better of the Cityzens in two FA Cup semi-finals since 2017, but have struggled in the league where they have tended to concede an early goal against them.

Arsenal are currently placed fourth in the standings after 19 games. They need to pick up points against title contenders to further boost their Champions League prospects.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com

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