Arsenal, who host Liverpool in a huge top-of-the-table clash later this month, have been handed a major worry after Bukayo Saka came off for England in their shock 2-1 loss to Greece
Mikel Arteta would have been tearing his hair out. Having already lost his captain Martin Odegaard to an ankle injury while playing for Norway during the international break, the last thing the Arsenal boss would have wanted to see was another of his star men go down lame while playing for his country.
But that’s exactly what happened on a bruising night for the England team – led by interim boss and former Everton midfielder Lee Carsley – as Bukayo Saka came off in the shock 2-1 home loss to Greece.
The 23-year-old, who already has two goals and seven assists in seven Premier League games so far this season, was replaced by Chelsea’s Noni Madueke shortly after Greece broke the deadlock in the 49th minute through Vangelis Pavlidis, who would go on to score the winner in injury-time after Jude Bellingham looked to have rescued a point for England in the Nations League clash at Wembley.
READ MORE: Roberto Firmino dropped again as Liverpool hero in furious bust-up in Saudi ArabiaREAD MORE: Liverpool star wildly exceeds expectations as emphatic reminder sent to doubters
Carsley and The Three Lions will have the chance to put the result right on Sunday when they head to Helsinki to face Finland.
But Saka is rated as a major doubt for that match. And, more worryingly for Arteta and Arsenal, is whether the winger will be fit for when when club football returns next weekend.
The Gunners head to Bournemouth on Saturday, October 19 before hosting Shakhtar in the Champions League on Tuesday, October 22.
They then return to the Emirates on Sunday, October 27 for the visit of Liverpool, who currently top the Premier League by one point from defending champions Manchester City and last season’s runners-up Arsenal.
After the defeat to Greece, for whom it was a first-ever victory over England, Carsley said on Saka: “He is being assessed. Obviously in the in the build up to the first goal, I think you could see he felt something in his leg.”
The Gunners have yet to lose in 10 matches in all competitions so far this season. But Arteta is dealing with major injury problems.
As well as Odegaard and now possibly Saka, Arsenal also currently have top scorer Kai Havertz, Ben White, Jurrien Timber, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Kieran Tierney sidelined.
Liverpool have selection concerns of their own. Both Alexis Mac Allister and Kostas Tsimikas were unavailable for their national sides on Thursday night – through injury and illness respectively – while Alisson Becker is facing a lengthy stint the treatment room, where Federico Chiesa and Harvey Elliott already find themselves..
