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Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has eased fears over Bukayo Saka’s fitness, confirming the winger’s injury is “nothing serious” and revealing there is a “good chance” he could feature in Wednesday’s Premier League encounter with Crystal Palace.
Saka appeared to pick up a knock during Sunday’s 4-0 victory at Ipswich, where he was substituted in the second half after a foul by Leif Davis in the first half—an incident that led to the Ipswich defender being shown a red card.
Although Saka continued briefly after the challenge, concerns had grown that he might miss Arsenal’s Champions League semi-final first leg against Paris Saint-Germain next week.
However, speaking ahead of the Palace fixture, Arteta offered a positive update.
“We have to wait and see how he reacts after training, but it’s nothing too serious,” the Spaniard told reporters. “If we want to, I think he has a good chance of playing tomorrow.”
Despite Arsenal sitting 13 points adrift of Premier League leaders Liverpool and with little left to play for domestically, Arteta indicated he may still field a strong side, including Saka.
“We cannot think in those terms,” he said when asked if he might rest key players ahead of the PSG tie. “When players are fit and available and want to play, they should play. That’s when they’re at their best—physically, emotionally, and in terms of rhythm and decision-making.”
Following Wednesday’s match, Arsenal will have several days to prepare for their first Champions League semi-final since 2009. The Gunners, who last lifted a major trophy in 2020 with the FA Cup, are still chasing their first ever Champions League title.
Arteta admitted that the break between fixtures could prove beneficial, especially as squad options remain limited.
“We have more days and not that many options,” he noted. “It’s good to have a bit of a gap, because we’re quite short in numbers.”
Riccardo Calafiori remains unavailable, and midfielder Jorginho is also set to miss the coming weeks due to injury.
Arteta stressed the importance of maintaining momentum, urging his players to focus on securing victory against Palace before turning their attention to European matters.
“Let’s take the opportunity first—earn the right to win the game tomorrow against a strong side with a good away record. After that, we’ll have time to prepare properly for PSG.”
Should Arsenal beat Palace, they will temporarily delay Liverpool’s potential title celebrations, which could come as early as Sunday if the Reds beat Tottenham at Anfield.
“Our incentive is to win our game and keep our run going. The rest is out of our control,” Arteta added.
