Arsenal followed up a run of three successive defeats to teams below them with two consecutive victories against top six rivals Chelsea and Manchester United, putting themselves right back in contention for a top four finish this season.
Bukayo Saka had stepped up to score a penalty in each of those games but the young England international had to be withdrawn against the Red Devils last weekend, and Mikel Arteta is sweating over his fitness ahead of Sunday’s game with West Ham.
Here is all you need to know about the current state of play at the Emirates Stadium and the expected return dates for those out injured.
Bukayo Saka
The 20-year-old winger had initially been suffering with a knock ahead of Saturday’s tie with Man Utd but was adamant to play in the 3-1 defeat, yet was forced to withdraw after 74 minutes due to struggling with the persistent injury in one of his legs.
It was initially understood that the problem wasn’t too serious and shouldn’t become a long term issue, but it is now a waiting game in terms of whether Saka makes a full recovery in time to feature against West Ham on Sunday, as Arteta begins to sweat.
Speaking on April 23, Arteta said: "Bukayo was struggling even in the first half of the match, but he really wanted to do it. He had a big knock the other night, and as soon as this, he was struggling, so let’s see how he is."
Can Arsenal still beat West Ham without Bukayo Saka in their team? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
Thomas Partey
Midfielder Thomas Partey picked up a “significant injury” during the 3-0 defeat to Crystal Palace on April 4, in which he damaged one of his thighs and subsequently missed Arsenal ’s last four fixtures, while there were fears that he would be ruled out for the rest of the season.
Arteta suggested that there could be no chance of him returning to action before the end of the campaign, but Partey might have inadvertently hinted that he could actually be fit before the end of the season after sharing a video of him running on a treadmill on his Instagram this week.
In Arteta’s latest update on April 15, he said: “The news that we got after another assessment is not looking very positive for his availability this season. At the moment we’re not very optimistic."
Kieran Tierney
Kieran Tierney’s injury has been a huge blow for Arsenal and the first choice left-back looks as though his season is at risk of being over following the news that he will require knee surgery after feeling some discomfort following a training session.
The Scotland international has been ruled out of Arsenal’s last five fixtures and it was clear that they missed him after the first three of those ended in defeat. As things stand, it is unknown as to whether Tierney will feature again this season, but it looks highly unlikely.
Speaking on April 5, Arteta said: “Kieran felt discomfort after a training session on Thurs. A specialist consultation took place, and as a result of further discussions, it has been decided that he requires [knee] surgery.”
