Arsenal's last three results have not gone to plan and next up is Manchester City away from home.
It was only at the beginning of the month that the Gunners were eight points clear of Pep Guardiola's side - albeit having played one game more - and required eight wins from their final 10 fixtures, in the ideal scenario, to be crowned Premier League champions for the first time since the 2003/04 campaign.
However, not seeing out 2-0 leads against Liverpool and West Ham United as well as a 3-3 draw against bottom-of-the-table Southampton on Friday night means Arsenal head to the Etihad Stadium with a five-point advantage instead of 11 and, perhaps crucially, have now played two games extra than City.
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Now, on a brighter note, the north London outfit are just as much in control of the title race as the defending champions because six wins from their remaining fixtures will be enough to see captain Martin Odegaard lift the Premier League trophy next month. But this particular scenario will change if they don't get the required result on Wednesday night.
Having failed to win in three and after suffering two defeats against Man City already this season, Mikel Arteta might be tempted to freshen things up where possible. Of course, as Arsenal have been shaky defensively of late, the return of William Saliba would be a welcome boost.
Although as per the latest update, signs are that the next couple of days will be vital: "No big news. The picture hasn’t changed from last week," Arteta told reporters ahead of the Southampton game. "Regarding William, we still have to wait a little bit more. He is not progressing as quick as we hoped.
"It's a bit delicate and we want to be very certain when we push him that he is ready to absorb the load and the risk that we will take and at the moment that’s not possible to do.
"I don’t know, it’s a bit early to do [predictions]. Probably next week we are going to have more certainty," he added. "There is some evolution, he is doing more activity, but he is not there yet to start to throw him on the pitch at the level that the sessions demand to compete in this League.
So, as Arteta hopes for some good news with regard to Saliba in a bid to ensure the Gunners hold their nerve in the title race, football.london has taken a look at what other alterations the Spanish tactician could be contemplating from the side that started the 3-3 draw with Southampton.
Xhaka return
Granit Xhaka's ever-present record in the Premier League this season came to an end on Friday night as he missed the Southampton draw through illness and his place in the Arsenal starting line-up went to Fabio Vieira.
But considering the Portuguese playmaker failed to make the most of the opportunity, it's safe to assume that if the Switzerland international shakes off the sickness bug in time then he will be handed an immediate recall and he's got a point to prove having been sent-off in the corresponding fixture against Man City last season.
Trossard call
Leandro Trossard was one of very few Arsenal players to emerge from the Southampton draw with any credit as he impressed in an advanced midfield role after replacing Fabio Vieira early in the second half. As a result, there are calls for the forward to be rewarded with a start at the Etihad.
On Twitter, @TcholeIbrahim said: "Please Arteta, start Trossard at LCM against Man City", @harveyson_ said: "Trossard must start against Man City not even a doubt", @afc_4k said: "Trossard has to start vs Man City no doubt" and @Dhaneye said: "Trossard needs to start vs Man City."
With Gabriel Martinelli in fine form, Bukayo Saka back amongst the goals and Gabriel Jesus so important as the focal point in attack, it's difficult to see any of the front three making way for Trossard and the idea of him starting in midfield would represent a gung-ho approach from Arsenal.
When discussing the Belgian's impact on Friday night, Arteta did agree with the notion that his £21m January signing does deserve to start but also pointed out that the attacking options at his disposal right now makes it difficult to fit everybody in whilst maintaining the right balance.
"He does every day. It’s about how you play everybody together, with the right balance without losing that structure and flow of the team," the Spaniard told reporters in the post-Southampton press conference. "When he came on he for sure looked good again."
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