Bukayo Saka of Arsenal reacts after picking up an injury
Bukayo Saka of Arsenal reacts after picking up an injury
Newcastle United's Carabao Cup semi-final opponents Arsenal have been dealt an almighty blow after Bukayo Saka was ruled out until February.
Saka suffered a hamstring injury after scoring in the 5-1 win at Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. The England star's contributions will be sorely missed by the Gunners after 13 assists and nine goals in all competitions this season.
The muscle injury definitely means Saka will miss the first leg of the semi-final against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium in early January. And he could also miss what could be a vital second leg at St James' Park, a game that might come too soon for him in February.
Mikel Arteta said over the weekend: "We are pretty worried about Saka’s injury. He grabbed his hamstring and couldn’t continue. He will have to be assessed but we are pretty worried, yes."
And reports from the capital have today suggested that their worst fears have come true with Euro 2024 star Saka preparing to miss almost two months of action.
Regardless of Saka's absence, Eddie Howe has already pinpointed the clash as a tough encounter. The former Bournemouth boss said: "I think any game against Arsenal is difficult, home or away. We were guaranteed a tough game whoever we got.
"I think whenever you get to this stage of the competition, you know the quality of the teams is very high. We play Arsenal, and we’ve had some good games against them in the last couple of years. We’ll look forward to that."
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