In the 4-0 rout of Ipswich Town, earlier today, Arsenal suffered a major injury scare, in the form of Bukayo Saka. The English forward left the match early, noticeably in pain, after receiving a knock on the leg.
Given that Saka has already spent three months on the sidelines this season, due to a hamstring injury, one can understand why cause for concern flared up immediately.
Arsenal FC vs Crystal Palace FYIs
Kickoff Time: 8pm BST, Wednesday, April 23
Location: Emirates Stadium, London, UK
Arsenal Preview Material: Team News Starting XI Prediction
Google Result Probability: Crystal Palace 13% Draw 120% Arsenal 67%
Premier League Standings: Crystal Palace 12th, 44 pts Arsenal 2nd, 66 pts
Arsenal Team News
Fortunately, the situation doesn’t sound too catastrophic, or even that problematic.
“I didn’t see the tackle, it was quite fast,” Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said of the challenge by Leif Davis, which resulted in Saka getting hurt.
“It’s a good decision from the referee. He in a bit of pain but thankfully it doesn’t look anything too serious.”
So they should have Saka available for this final stretch run of the season here.
Elsewhere Kai Havertz seems to making fantastic progress on his hamstring injury recovery, and he should be back much earlier than expected.
“I think [the UCL semi-final is] too close,” Arteta said of the Havertz situation.
“But if I have to bet on him earlier than expected, I would say yes. The way he works every day in that gym, pushing everybody, I don’t think you can hold him much longer.”
The German midfielder/forward had previously been ruled out for the entire season. And now here he is looking at a mid-May return.
Arteta gave an update this weekend on Calafiori and his knee injury too:
“If everything goes well, I think [he will be back for PSG]. Maybe a little bit earlier, so let’s see.
“He’s on the pitch already, he’s done quite a lot of stuff, and we just need to make the right steps now to make sure that when he’s back, he’s in a good place to perform.”
So he is getting very close to a return now.
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. 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, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter