Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta has provided a positive update on the fitness of Bukayo Saka following Sunday's Premier League clash with Ipswich Town at Portman Road.
Ipswich's Leif Davis received a straight red card in the first half of Sunday's fixture for a poor challenge on Saka, with the defender standing on the Achilles of the England international.
Saka was in severe pain in the immediate aftermath of the incident, but he did manage to play on until the 57th minute of the match, which Arsenal convincingly won 4-0.
The Gunners will take on Paris Saint-Germain in the semi-finals of the Champions League, with the first leg of their contest taking place at the Emirates Stadium on April 29, and there is now a concern over the fitness of Saka.
However, Arteta has said that the attacker avoided a serious issue, telling BBC Sport after the Premier League clash: "He was sore but it's nothing serious. So that's positive as well."
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Saka was substituted just before the hour against Ipswich
Arsenal will now face Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Wednesday night, with that match coming six days before the first leg of their European Cup semi-final against PSG.
Arteta has hinted at more changes against Palace, with the Gunners focusing on the Champions League at this stage of the campaign, as they are comfortably inside the Champions League spots, sitting nine points ahead of sixth-placed Nottingham Forest.
"We will have to see. Today we had to make changes. There were players who could not start the game and those who could not finish the game. It's been a big headache every week over the past nine months with the amount of issues we've had. But we are coping well," he said.
"Our first 35 minutes were exceptional, we scored two and could have scored more but the sending off changed the game. It was an opportunity to play some players who have not played so much so a lot of positives from this afternoon."
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How important is Saka to Arsenal?
There is simply no downplaying the importance of Saka to Arsenal; arguments can be made for Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice or William Saliba being the team's most influential player, but Saka is an absolute superstar for the Gunners.
His overall performance against Real Madrid in the Champions League last time out, especially after missing an early penalty, was exemplary, and it would be a monumental blow if he was facing another spell on the sidelines.
The 23-year-old has scored 11 goals and registered 14 assists in 30 appearances for Arsenal during the 2024-25 campaign, including five goals and two assists in seven outings in this season's Champions League.
Matt Law
