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Mikel Arteta has confirmed that Arsenal will be missing Bukayo Saka and Jurriën Timber for Tuesday's Champions League quarterfinal clash against Sporting CP. That said, the injury news wasn't entirely negative.
The previously uncertain trio of Declan Rice, Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Magalhães were all deemed fit enough to participate in Arteta's unconventional open training session on Monday ahead of the trip to Lisbon. All three had been involved in the widespread international call-ups during the March break, with Rice and Trossard both sitting out Saturday's disappointing FA Cup loss to Southampton.
Gabriel featured from the start in the deflating 2–1 defeat before being forced off after receiving treatment on a troublesome knee. Arteta was unwilling to elaborate on the condition of his returning players, responding to questions about their availability with a single blunt word: "Yes."
Nevertheless, several notable names remain sidelined ahead of the upcoming European fixture.
Bukayo Saka
Saka's confirmed absence is a setback for the Gunners, though Arteta was still eager to highlight the positives. "Hopefully they'll be ready for the weekend, if all goes well," the Spanish manager said, with an eye on Saturday's Premier League encounter against Bournemouth.
"That's a huge boost because in recent weeks we've lost so many key players and that's something we need to address right away."
Arsenal has considerable depth along the right flank. A case could be made that Saka isn't even the undisputed first choice when compared to Noni Madueke, who will step in capably in Portugal. Max Dowman has managed just 18 minutes of Champions League football this season but could earn another brief appearance in Saka's place.
Jurriën Timber
While not as prominent a name as Saka, Timber's absence could prove even more significant. The quietly impactful right back has sat out Arsenal's last three matches with a sprained ankle—and it may be no coincidence that two of those games ended in defeat.
Ben White may not face an overwhelming workload, as Sporting CP's attacking play tends to favor the right flank. Only two clubs in this season's Champions League have directed fewer attacks toward the opposing right back than the Portuguese champions. However, this does present a challenge for Arsenal's backup left back.
Piero Hincapié
Arteta was not questioned about Piero Hincapié's availability, and his absence from the squad-building training session offers little reason for optimism.
Hincapié picked up a hamstring injury during the second half of Ecuador's friendly against Morocco in late March, one that never appeared as "suspicious" as some of Arsenal's other absences.
Eberechi Eze
Arsenal will need to advance to the semifinals for Eze to have any realistic chance of featuring in the competition again. The increasingly impressive attacking midfielder saw his season disrupted by a calf injury on the eve of the Carabao Cup final, with his return not expected before late April at the earliest.
Eze had gradually grown into the match-winning player Arsenal believed they were acquiring last summer, bringing an unpredictable flair to the team's typically structured style.
Mikel Merino
Mikel Merino's time at Arsenal has been plagued by injuries—both his own and those of teammates. The 2024 signing fractured his shoulder during his very first training session at the club. Once he finally made it onto the pitch, an injury crisis in Arsenal's attack pushed him into an unfamiliar center forward role to close out his debut season.
Arteta's versatile utility man had been flourishing back in midfield this campaign before suffering a "very rare" bone injury in his foot. Merino's recovery timeline has shifted considerably, and it seems unlikely he will make a meaningful contribution at club level before the season ends. Securing a place in Spain's World Cup squad appears to be his primary objective.