Arsenal Faces Saka Injury Blow Ahead of Everton Clash
Bukayo Saka has carried Arsenal through enough tight afternoons at the Emirates. On Saturday, he will not be there to help them.
The winger’s quad injury, suffered in Munich and severe enough to force him off inside ten minutes against Bayern, rips a hole in Mikel Arteta’s plans just as the Premier League rhythm starts to harden. One look at the calendar tells you this is awkward timing. One look at the squad tells you there is no easy fix.
Wide options stretched thin
Saka’s absence would sting in any week. It hurts more now because Arsenal are already light in the wide areas. Christos Tzolis remains sidelined with a hamstring problem, stripping away another natural winger and exposing how little cover Arteta has on the flanks.
There is no clever disguise available here, no senior option quietly waiting for a chance. The solution is brutally straightforward: Noni Madueke and Eberechi Eze are expected to start, with Max Dowman likely promoted to the role of young wildcard from the bench if the game state allows it.
That is a bold front four on paper. It is also a front four that demands control behind it.
Rotation kept on a tight leash
The temptation to shuffle the pack is obvious. Arsenal have just come off a draining Champions League night in Germany and face a Carabao Cup tie against Fleetwood next week. Yet Everton at home is not the occasion for experiments, and Arteta knows it.
Most of his core will stay in place. The Emirates crowd will recognise the spine.
There is some relief at the back. Piero Hincapie has returned to full training after an ankle issue and should be in the squad. The sensible play is to ease him in, limit his minutes and earmark a bigger role for the Fleetwood game rather than throw him straight into a heavy workload.
In midfield, Myles Lewis-Skelly is a genuine option if Arteta wants fresh legs and a bit of youthful bite. At right-back, Ben White could come back into the side after Jurrien Timber completed the full 90 minutes in Germany, a reminder that load management is not just a buzzword but a necessity across a season like this.
Havertz or Gyokeres? Arteta’s awkward call
The trickiest decision lies up front.
Kai Havertz has drifted since the international break. Below his best, and that is the generous reading. His touch has lacked sharpness, his influence has faded too easily. The contrast with Viktor Gyokeres’ cameo in Munich was stark. The striker came off the bench against Bayern, imposed himself and made a positive impact that will not have gone unnoticed.
On form alone, Gyokeres has a case. On planning, the picture shifts.
Arsenal’s staff have to think in blocks of fixtures, not isolated matches. All signs point to Gyokeres being the more likely starter in the Carabao Cup, the spearhead for a rotated side against Fleetwood. If that holds, Havertz is the man more likely to lead the line in the league, at least for now.
This is how these calls are often made: not simply as a reward or punishment for one performance, but as part of a wider puzzle. Arteta will want control, structure and technical security between the lines to pin Everton back, rather than a game that becomes stretched and scrappy.
That is where Martin Odegaard becomes non-negotiable. The captain will again be the creative hub, with Declan Rice expected to sit behind him, anchoring the midfield and dictating tempo.
Predicted XI and the stakes
Strip it all back and the likely shape emerges.
Predicted Arsenal XI vs Everton: Raya; White, Konsa, Gabriel, Calafiori; Rice, Lewis-Skelly; Madueke, Odegaard, Eze; Havertz.
Injured: Saliba, Tzolis, Saka.
Kick-off is at 3pm BST on Saturday, October 24, 2026, at Emirates Stadium. Arsenal are favourites, and nobody will argue too hard with that. Even without Saka, there is enough talent on the pitch to expect three points.
The real test is subtler. Can this reshaped attack find rhythm and fluency, or will Arsenal walk off at full-time with the win but more questions about their cutting edge than answers?
