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Arteta says Arsenal concerned about Saka injury after Bayern draw

Bukayo Saka left Arsenal’s 2-2 Champions League draw at Bayern Munich early with thigh pain. Mikel Arteta said the club must wait to learn how serious the injury is.

NewsJaws DeskEditorial desk

Published 21 Oct 2026, 23:20 BST2 min read

The Allianz Arena in Munich viewed from outside in daylight. — File photograph of the Allianz Arena in Munich, taken on 8 January 2008. Richard Bartz , Munich aka Makro Freak — Richard Bartz, Munich aka Makro Freak, ‘Allianz arena daylight Richard Bartz’ (resized and converted to WebP). CC BY-SA 2.5.Image source Image licence: CC BY-SA 2.5

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Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said the club was concerned about Bukayo Saka after the winger left Wednesday’s Champions League match at Bayern Munich with sharp pain. Arsenal drew 2-2 on 21 October 2026, but Arteta said the severity of Saka’s injury was still unclear. AFP described Saka as Arsenal’s joint leading scorer this season alongside Viktor Gyökeres.

What Arteta said about Saka’s injury

Saka fell to the turf holding his thigh and was replaced by Eberechi Eze. The Guardian reported that the change came in the 10th minute. Arteta told reporters Arsenal’s medical staff were worried: ‘They are a bit concerned about Saka. When a player has to come off with sharp pain it is never good news. We have to wait and see,’ according to AFP.

‘He doesn’t look good at all, but we’ll have to wait and see,’ Arteta added. He gave no diagnosis or return date. Arteta also pointed to the physical demands of the match, saying the intensity required at this level was ‘unbelievable’.

How Arsenal drew 2-2 at Bayern Munich

Eze, Saka’s replacement, put Arsenal ahead. An offside flag initially ruled out the goal, but a video review overturned that decision, according to Al Jazeera’s match report. Harry Kane then set up Alphonso Davies for Bayern’s equaliser before scoring a second-half penalty to give the hosts the lead. Declan Rice equalised late to secure a point for Arsenal in the league-phase fixture.

Rice said he had kept running to lose his marker before scoring. ‘I’m so happy,’ he told TNT, according to AFP. Arteta praised Arsenal’s performance against Bayern, saying, ‘Bayern batter every team, so I really value what the boys did tonight.’

The Guardian noted that Arsenal’s only previous away win against Bayern was a 2-0 victory in a 2013 Champions League last-16 second leg, when Arteta was an Arsenal player. Arsenal were still eliminated on away goals. On Wednesday, Bayern equalised after Eze’s opener and went ahead through Kane’s penalty before Rice struck for Arsenal.

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