Arsenal certainly did not come out of their 2-2 Champions League draw with Bayern Munich, earlier today, unscathed. One of their most important players, 25-year-old English winger Bukayo Saka, suffered a left quad injury, and according to manager Mikel Arteta, it “doesn’t look good.”
No official diagnosis yet, and of course, no timeline for recovery, but that is a disheartening phrase to be sure.
Arsenal vs Everton FC FYIs
Kickoff: Sat. Oct 24, 2026, 3pm, Emirates Stadium, London, UK
PL Form: Arsenal WWLWW Everton FC DDWDL
PL Standing: Arsenal 2nd, 18 pts Everton FC 8th, 10 pts
Google Result Probability: Arsenal 67% Everton FC 20% Draw 13%
Bukayo Saka was forced off at only 10 minutes into the game tonight, feeling his quad in a way that clearly conveyed pain. Maybe Arteta will give an update on Friday.
It’s fair to say that he won’t play on Saturday against Everton, a side that is actually fully fit right now.
Arsenal have a couple more injury concerns, with Arteta providing an update on Piero Hincapie yesterday.
“Let’s see if he’s able to train in the next few days as well,” Arteta said yesterday. “He can be available for Everton, which is great news.”
So he could be in contention to feature on Saturday, but we’ll see. Meanwhile Christos Tzolis is a couple weeks away from returning to action, with William Saliba a couple weeks behind Tzolis.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, Ratings and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.