Mikel Arteta will leave his assistant coach Albert Stuivenberg to face Manchester City while he recovers from Covid.
The Arsenal boss, whose positive test sparked football first lockdown in March 2020, is self-isolating after being hit again.
But although he was able to conduct his pre-match press conference, he intends to allow Stuivenberg to assume control for Saturday’s early kick-off.
Arteta said: “He's someone who is very close to me and he's more than capable. He's done it before, so in that sense I'm very relaxed about it.
“The situation has been discussed and obviously we will have some communication.”
Arsenal have picked up just one point in their last 11 Premier League games against City.
Arteta added: “We will be in touch, but I also want to give them the possibility, the responsibility and the freedom to make decisions on the pitch, to express themselves because it's completely different being on that touchline and close to the players and the action to being at home.
“So I'll be here to support and help in certain moments, but they have to get the momentum of the game and communicate with the players themselves.”
Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been released early from the club to join Gabon for the Africa Cup of Nations because he is not going to feature in Saturday's Premier League match at home to Manchester City.
Aubameyang, 32, has fallen out of favour with Arteta at Arsenal and was stripped of the captaincy this month following a "disciplinary breach". He last played in a 2-1 league defeat at Everton on Dec. 6, missing five games in all competitions.
Aubameyang signed a new three-year contract with Arsenal last year but has struggled this season, scoring only four Premier League goals -- the last of which was in October.
Players heading to next month's Africa Cup of Nations finals are allowed to play for their clubs until Jan. 3, but Arteta said that Gabon asked if Aubameyang could join early.
"We had a letter from the (Gabon) national team asking permission to get the player and the player was not going to get involved... so for his fitness and to keep competing, it was the right thing to do," Arteta told reporters on Friday.
"At the moment he has gone (for AFCON). He needs to focus on the national team. We had the conversation that it was the best possible way to do it. We will address it game-by-game."
