In the Champions League heavyweight clash with Bayern Munich on Wednesday, Arsenal were forced to go without the man they needed most.
Star winger Bukayo Saka went down inside the opening 10 minutes of the league phase match at the Allianz Arena, clutching his leg in pain after kicking a lofted ball across the pitch. Saka needed assistance from the training staff to stand up, before hobbling down the tunnel. He was replaced by Eberechi Eze while the match remained scoreless. The game ended in a 2–2 draw.
The loss of Saka comes as a major blow for the Gunners, who are chasing redemption on the European stage this season. Saka played an integral part in the team’s run to the 2025–26 Champions League final, registering five goal contributions in eight starts, including the game-winner in the second leg of the semifinals against Atlético Madrid.
Just last week againt Lille, he had a goal and an assist off the bench in Arsenal’s 3–0 win to make it 14 straight league phase victories under Mikel Arteta.
After breaking away on the dribble from Bayern’s Alphonso Davies, Saka attempted a long kick across the pitch, performing a scooping motion that seems to have caused an immediate muscular strain in his left leg.
He was later seen clutching his quadricep on the ground, indicating an injury to the front part of his thigh. He was also later shown patting his left quad while conversing with Arteta on the sideline.
“It doesn’t look good at all good,” Arteta told reporters post-match, confirming the thigh injury. “But we will have to wait and see.”
Saka has no history of a major quad injury; however, he did have to deal with a nagging hamstring injury last season as well as during the 2024–25 season, which caused him to miss 26 total matches across all competitions during those years.
How long Saka will remain sidelined is not yet known; however, exiting a major European match less than 10 minutes after the opening whistle is not a good sign.
“[The medical staff] are a bit concerned,” Arteta added. “A player who has to come off with a really sharp pain is never good news.”
Arteta will hope that Saka is fit and available come the weekend, when the Gunners host Everton at the Emirates, yet that may be wishful thinking. Arsenal will certainly need their leading man for the subsequent week’s Premier League clash with Liverpool.
