3 days Ago
The England winger provided the assist for Gabriel Magalhaes 's second-half header - his fourth helper in as many games this season - before having to come off in the dying embers of the 1-0 North London derby victory . Arteta admitted afterwards that he was still in the dark about the seriousness of Saka's concern after bringing on Ethan Nwaneri to replace the 23-year-old, who is no stranger to a few bumps and bruises. However, according to the Evening Standard , Arsenal staff believe that the attacker was simply suffering from cramp and should therefore make a rapid recovery in time for the Gunners' next fixture.
Arteta's men head to Italy to face Europa League holders Atalanta in their first Champions League game of the season on Thursday, three days before a top-of-the-table Premier League showdown with Manchester City. © Imago Barring any unforeseen complications, Saka should be given the green light to take part in both of those matches as the 23-year-old endeavours to continue his stellar start to the 2024-25 season. The Arsenal academy graduate has set up a goal in each of his first four appearances of the new season, as well as scoring one of his own against Wolverhampton Wanderers on the opening weekend.
Saka has been left extremely short of cover on the right-hand side following the summer transfer window, as his former backups Reiss Nelson and Fabio Vieira joined Fulham and Porto on loan respectively. However, Arteta could instead hand Raheem Sterling his first start for the Gunners should he exercise caution over Saka's fitness, after bringing on the Chelsea loanee for his debut at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Seventeen-year-old Nwaneri - who is the Premier League's youngest-ever player and made his third appearance for Arsenal at the weekend - is another alternative option on the right-hand side of the attack.
© Imago While Saka has managed to avoid a serious problem, Arsenal are still set to be without a handful of experienced players for their trips to Bergamo and the Etihad, including captain Martin Odegaard . The Norway captain sprained his ankle on international duty and is reportedly facing around three weeks on the sidelines , while Mikel Merino 's shoulder issue could render him unavailable until late October. Odegaard was one of two Arsenal players to pick up injuries during the international break, as Riccardo Calafiori sustained a bizarre calf problem while in action for Italy, as Ousmane Dembele 's heel hit his leg after the France winger was tackled.
Calafiori is joined in the calf injuries club by Oleksandr Zinchenko , who was an unexpected absentee from the North London derby , while Takehiro Tomiyasu (knee) and Kieran Tierney (hamstring) are long-term absentees. However, Declan Rice should make his comeback against Atalanta in midweek after missing the derby victory through suspension..
