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Mikel Arteta is optimistic that Bukayo Saka will recover after being substituted due to an injury during Arsenal’s win against Sevilla in the Champions League.
Saka played a key role in Arsenal’s dominant 2-0 victory against Sevilla at the Emirates. He assisted Leandro Trossard’s goal and then scored one himself in the second half.
However, the 22-year-old once again faced multiple fouls from the Sevilla defenders and indicated the need to be substituted towards the end of the game due to a rough landing.
Arteta seemed unconcerned about Saka’s early departure, but he did not show signs of being overly worried. The Arsenal team will face Burnley in the Premier League this Saturday, and Gareth Southgate was present at the Emirates, preparing to announce his England squad for upcoming matches against Malta and North Macedonia on Thursday.
Saka is aiming to rejoin the England team after being absent from the October matches. Arteta stated: “He received a kick and the physios informed me that he did not want to continue. I am optimistic that he will recover.”
Arteta mentioned that Saka is becoming more accustomed to facing challenges, as shown by Sevilla fouling him four times in the first 20 minutes of the Group B match. Areta stated that this is unlikely to change, due to Saka’s aggressive playing style.
The team Arsenal did not have their leader Martin Odegaard and attacker Eddie Nketiah for their match against Sevilla. However, coach Arteta mentioned that they are both working hard to recover and may be able to play on Saturday.
Gabriel Jesus, who was previously absent due to injury, will not return until after the international break.
If Lens had won against PSV, Arsenal would have advanced to the knockout rounds. However, with a four-point lead in Group B, it is highly likely that the north London team will continue their journey in the Champions League in 2024.
Arteta stated that the team’s performance against Newcastle was filled with positive aspects. He also noted that there was no need for a response from the team, as they played exceptionally well against a challenging opponent.
“Today, we had different requirements and needed to adjust our tactics accordingly. We successfully executed our desired strategy, so I am very pleased with our last two performances.”
In addition to concerns about Saka, Takehiro Tomiyasu was also substituted at halftime.
According to Arteta, the defender experienced some discomfort in the first half.
“We opted not to take any chances as he has already played a significant amount of time. With Alex (Oleksandr Zinchenko) on standby to substitute in, I believe it was the correct choice.”
Contains information from PA’s reporting
Source: independent.co.uk
