William Saliba, Thomas Partey and more: Arsenal injury news ahead of Leeds United clash

Arsenal are expected to be without a host of their first-team stars, including William Saliba and Thomas Partey, for their Premier League home clash against Leeds United on Saturday, April 1.

The Gunners are sitting atop the 2022-23 Premier League standings with 69 points from 28 games. Mikel Arteta's side will be aiming to extend their winning streak to seven league games against the Whites.

While Gabriel Jesus has recovered from his long-term knee injury and is available for selection, a number of his teammates are doubts for their upcoming clash at the Emirates Stadium. On top of the likes of William Saliba and Takehiro Tomiyasu, two other players have been sidelined during the recent international break.

Partey, who has made 30 appearances this season, was left out of Ghana's recent 1-1 African Cup of Nations qualification draw against Angola as a precaution. The Gunners sent club physio Simon Murphy to assess the midfielder's knock earlier this week.

Kieran Tierney, on the other hand, was forced off after being on the end of Rodri's strong tackle during Scotland's recent 2-0 European Championship qualifying win over Spain. Similar to Partey, the former Celtic man has also emerged as a major doubt for the upcoming Leeds clash.

Eddie Nketiah, who filled Jesus' void up top earlier this year, is expected to be out until early April due to an ankle problem, as per football.london.

Meanwhile, Saliba is still likely to be out due to a back problem picked up during Arsenal's Europa League exit against Sporting CP earlier this month. He is set to undergo further scans to determine the severity of his injury. However, it is claimed that he will be able to make an appearance before the end of the campaign.

Both Tomiyasu and Mohamed Elneny are currently out with knee injuries and are believed to be out for the rest of the ongoing season.

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Robin van Persie backs Arsenal to end their Premier League title drought this campaign

Speaking to Sky Sports, former Arsenal striker Robin van Persie lauded his former team's efforts to lift their first Premier League title since 2004. He said:

"If you look at this period of time, this is where every single point really counts. They've had a couple of difficult games. They got the three points there, so that is what a champion's team is made of. They've been proving that. But the last stretch is always difficult."

Backing Arsenal to pip Manchester City to the title, Van Persie added:

"My personal feeling is that they will go for it... that they will win the league. It's been a while, so I'm happy for them to win it."