Mikel Arteta plays down Bukayo Saka injury concerns, says winger could play against Crystal Palace

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has revealed his star player Bukayo Saka has a good chance to take the field against Crystal Palace on Wednesday night. Saka, who scored in Arsenal’s win over Real Madrid at the Bernabeu last week, was injured in the Premier League weekend fixture against Ipswich Town.
Saka, who was fouled Leif Davis — which led to the defender earning a red card — limped off in the second half of the match on Sunday, which Arsenal won 4-0.
He was seen getting attention to his right foot with the winger applying an ice pack immediately after being substituted, raising concerns over his availability for Arsenal’s Champions League match against PSG.
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Though there have been calls for Saka to be rested for the match against Palace, Arteta said there are no fitness concerns with the winger.
“We have to wait and see how he reacts after (the training) session, but it’s nothing too serious,” he told reporters on Tuesday.
“If we want to, I think he would have a good chance to play tomorrow.”
With Liverpool having a 13-point lead over Arsenal, if the Gunners ending up dropping points on Wednesday, then the Reds can win the title over the weekend. Yet, Arteta said he would prefer to field a full-strength squad.Story continues below this ad
“We cannot think in those terms. When the players are fit and available and want to play, they have to play,” Arteta said of his selection dilemma. “They are at their best when they are playing and they have consency in their performances and physically they are good, emotionally they are good, their understanding and their rhythm and the way they make decisions is at their best.”
Arsenal have been hampered injuries throughout the season with all their forwards ruled out till the end of the season. It meant, they had to turn to midfielder Mikel Merino as false No 9 and the move has largely worked for them.
After their match against Palace, Arsenal have a week’s rest before they take on PSG at the Emirates and Arteta hoped it will help him to keep his players fresh. “We have more days, the amount of options that we have is not that many…. It’s good to have a little gap because we are really short in numbers,” he said.