Arsenal Receives Major Injury Boost Before Crucial Champions League Showdown With Real Madrid

Bukayo Saka from Arsenal is nearing his comeback after being sidelined for over three months due to a hamstring injury.
The English national team player sustained a hamstring injury during a match against Crystal Palace in the Premier League in December.
His comeback precedes their Champions League quarter-final matchup with powerhouse Real Madrid.

Arsenal star Bukayo Saka has provided the team with an injury boost before their highly anticipated Champions League match against Real Madrid.

The English player suggested they might come back into play shortly following their absence of over three months due to a hamstring injury.

Since then, Arsenal's quest for the Premier League title has faltered, and they require a miracle to close the gap with Liverpool.

When is Bukayo Saka expected back?

In December, during Arsenal’s 5-1 victory against Crystal Palace in the Premier League, the 23-year-old striker suffered a hamstring strain.

The English player subsequently had an operation and has been recuperating ever since; however, it seems he is close to making his comeback.

Without his presence, Arsenal’s prospects of winning the Premier League have diminished; however, their journey in the Champions League has advanced to the quarter-finals, where they will encounter the reigning champions, Real Madrid.

On Thursday, he posted a photo from his training session with the caption "Hello again," which thrilled Arsenal supporters.

Arsenal welcomes Fulham at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday, April 1, followed by a match against Everton at Goodison Park on Saturday, April 5. Mikel Arteta’s squad will then host Real Madrid in the Champions League on April.

Arteta emphasized the importance of valuing this aspect and acknowledged how challenging it is. Despite the difficulty, they aim to take the next step, as he stated to Football London.

Why isn't Arsenal competing this weekend?

Typically, teams return to action with Premier League matches immediately following an international break. But this will not apply to Arsenal or some other clubs.

Arteta has the entire weekend to ready his squad for the concluding stretch of the 2024/25 campaign.

Next up for them is Fulham, who will play in the FA Cup quarter-finals this weekend. The Cottagers are set to take on Crystal Palace on Saturday and will get just a two-day respite before facing Arsenal.

In their past three encounters against Marco Silva's team, The Gunners have tied two matches and suffered one loss.

Can Arsenal catch Liverpool?

Last season, Arsenal narrowly missed out on the Premier League title by just two points. They seem destined to secure second place for the third consecutive year.

Prior to the international hiatus, Arsenal managed to reduce Liverpool's advantage somewhat; however, they then drew twice and lost once, which dropped them 12 points behind Liverpool with just nine matches left to play.

The North London side have to play Liverpool and Newcastle. They could win their remaining matches and fail to win the title.

For Arsenal to close the gap, Liverpool would have to falter. It seems that Arne Slot’s squad might be tiring lately. According to Opta's advanced analytics tool, they have a 99.2% chance of clinching the title.