We are six points clear at the top of the Premier League with a game in hand sitting against us, heading into the most significant away fixture of our season, and we will almost certainly be without our best player. That is the situation Mikel Arteta confirmed at his Friday press conference.

Bukayo Saka has not featured since the Carabao Cup final against Sunday's opponents, and Arteta removed any remaining uncertainty at his press conference: “Bukayo is out, that's for sure. He's just starting to do some stuff, so let's see that progression, how quickly we can go through it, and then wait, but at the moment it's not about that."

The more encouraging news is that three players who were absent against Bournemouth last weekend are not yet ruled out. When asked specifically about Odegaard, Timber and Calafiori, Arteta said: "We will try again. Some players are quite close. We will try tomorrow to push everybody." Although not a guarantee, it is certainly more positive than the position we were in 48 hours ago.

Odegaard himself has spoken about his situation, describing a knee problem he picked up during the recent international break that caused him to miss the Bournemouth defeat, and saying he is desperate to return given the importance of this period of the season. Whether a single training session on Saturday is enough to get him to Etihad-ready fitness is a different question, and Arteta will not take a risk with him if the medical staff have doubts.

Timber's situation is similarly unclear. Arsenal have not confirmed the nature of the injury that kept him out of the squad for the last five games, with information from the Dutch media suggesting it is either an ankle or adductor issue. That opacity is frustrating but unfortunately consistent with how Arteta has managed injury communications all season.

The biggest concern we have is our right flank. That is the position that defines our attacking shape most directly, and the answer to it determines almost everything about how we approach this game tactically.

Noni Madueke, who has taken up that position ever since Saka has been out, was forced off during Wednesday's 0-0 draw with Sporting CP in the Champions League quarter-final second leg. Arteta was cautiously optimistic at the press conference: "We have another training session tomorrow. He didn't look that bad after the game, and he was quite positive. He's a player who pushes through pain, so I'm hopeful that he can be available, but we have to wait and see if he's able to train tomorrow."

If Madueke makes it, Arteta has a natural replacement in terms of profile. He is direct, he carries the ball forward, and City will know what they are getting. However, if he does not recover and is ruled unfit for this game, the options become significantly more creative. Gabriel Martinelli could be shifted across from the left, which disrupts the balance of the entire attack. Leandro Trossard as an inverted right-sided option is also a possibility, but neither is ideal against City at the Etihad. Max Dowman is the natural right winger option, however, starting a 16 year old in a game of this magnitude in a hostile arena is an option Arteta will have to consider very carefully.

Mikel Merino is not expected to return before the end of the season after ankle surgery, and there is concern in Spain about whether he will be fit for the World Cup. That has been the case for several weeks now, but it is worth reiterating because his absence from midfield has been the one injury that has most visibly altered our shape and our capacity to control games when Rice is under pressure.

City will also be without Ruben Dias, while Nico O'Reilly has been declared fit to face us. John Stones and Josko Gvardiol are long-term absentees. City have sufficient depth in the defensive department to absorb these losses without much of a structural crisis. We, on the other hand, are missing players all over the pitch. We are missing players like Saka and Odegaard, around whom our best football is built. City losing two defensive options is a selection headache, while for us, missing Saka, Odegaard, Timber, Calafiori, Merino and Madueke is a tactical problem with no clean solution.

Saturday's training session will determine whether Arteta goes to Manchester with something approaching his best available eleven or has to cobble together an attack around whatever fitness the medical staff can confirm by Sunday morning. Right now there are too many players in the wrong column for a trip to the Etihad with six points and the title on the line. Whatever personnel we go to Manchester with, it will need to be enough. Those who take to the field on Sunday must show heart, desire and put their lives on the line.