Arsenal Anticipates Saka’s Return Against Shakhtar

Arsenal forward Bukayo Saka may be ready for Arsenal’s Champions League match against Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday. The 23-year-old missed Arsenal’s 2-0 defeat against Bournemouth on Saturday, as coach Mikel Arteta did not want to risk one of his key players.

According to The Athletic, Saka suffered a hamstring injury during England’s 2-1 defeat to Greece in the UEFA Nations League on September 10.

Captain Martin Ødegaard has missed eight matches since injuring his ankle during Norway’s international break in September against Austria. Tuesday’s Champions League match might be too soon for his return, but the 25-year-old is not far from being back.

Arteta said about the duo: “They are close, and both are progressing very well. Martin is still not fit. As for Bukayo, let’s see how he feels after the training session we’ll have later.”

Despite the positive comments before the Premier League match against Bournemouth, Saka was excluded from the 2-0 defeat on the South Coast on Saturday evening. Arteta explained that the winger “didn’t feel right, and there was no point in pushing him” before a run of seven matches in three weeks, including notable fixtures against league leaders Liverpool, trips to Inter Milan and Real Madrid, and an away match against Chelsea.

Arsenal has faced a number of injury problems during the 2024-2025 season. In addition to Saka and Ødegaard, there were doubts over Ben White, Gabriel Martinelli, Oleksandr Zinchenko, and Jurrien Timber ahead of the Bournemouth defeat.

Timber missed the trip to the Vitality Stadium due to a muscle injury, but White and Martinelli played, while Zinchenko was an unused substitute.

When asked about the possibility of Timber returning for Tuesday’s match, Arteta said: “It will be close. We have to see how he handles training with the whole group, as he hasn’t done that yet. But he will be back soon, hopefully.”

Arsenal has four points from its first two Champions League matches after a draw away to Atalanta on September 19 and a home win against Paris Saint-Germain on October 1.