Viktor Gyokeres netted his 10th goal of the season for Arsenal in midweek as the Gunners beat Kazakh minnows Kairat Almaty 3-2 at the Emirates Stadium in their final Champions League group phase match
Ryan Taylor
12:00, 29 Jan 2026
Viktor Gyokeres
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Viktor Gyokeres scored the opener on Wednesday night as Arsenal defeated Kairat Almaty
Viktor Gyokeres has never played at Elland Road - but he can't wait to take in Leeds' famous pressure-cooker atmosphere.
The Arsenal frontman, who netted his 10th goal in all competitions on Wednesday night when he struck the opener against Kairat Almaty, bagged a brace to down the Whites at the Emirates in August.
When asked if he's expecting a cauldron of noise in Yorkshire this weekend, the Swede replied: "Yeah, I hope so, it'll be nice."
Gyokeres was then pushed on whether he'd relish that proposition, to which he replied: "Yes, I look forward to every game. It will be a tough away match but we hope to obviously perform well and to get the three points.”
The 27-year-old centre-forward, signed from Sporting CP for £64million including bonuses, is a man of few words. Instead, he prefers to do his talking on the pitch as he continues to block out the outside noise and scrutiny.
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The former Coventry City striker is now Arsenal's joint top-goalscorer (10) in all competitions this season, alongside Gabriel Martinelli. He has also found the target four times in his past five Champions League appearances.
While he's keen to replicate his European goalscoring exploits in the Premier League, he's not putting too much pressure on it.
Gyokeres explained: “Yeah [I want to score], whatever game, I don’t care really, I just try to do my best and take my chances.”
The Sweden international looks set to benefit from the return of Kai Havertz - even if the German is gunning for his team-mate's place within the side.
Mikel Arteta insists the forward duo can play together and that was evident on Wednesday when Havertz slipped in Gyokeres, who broke the deadlock in ruthless fashion, inside the opening minutes.
Viktor Gyokeres
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Viktor Gyokeres scored in Arsenal's 3-2 win over FC Kairat Almaty(Image: Clive Mason/Getty Images)
Gyokeres said on his chemistry with Havertz: “It was great. I think obviously it was great to get the ball from him so early on and to score a goal. He obviously did well on the other two goals also so I'm very happy for him."
Arteta needs the pair firing on all cylinders as Arsenal bid to get their Premier League bid back on track following a three-game winless streak.
Just like his boss, Gyokeres feels the squad's honest team meeting following the Manchester United defeat could help the Gunners turn the corner.
He said: “I think it was good. Of course, it was disappointing after the defeat and how we lost it. But it can happen in football and I think the most important thing is how you react to it and what you do after.
Viktor Gyokeres
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Viktor Gyokeres also recorded an assist for Gabriel Martinelli
"So yeah, we try to make sure we do better from now on. We take the win tonight and first place in the group phase with eight [wins] out of eight.
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"I think we’re all happy with the group phase and now we look forward to the knockout stages.
"I think we've done very well so far but we have to do the same still and just try to be present, work hard and look forward to Saturday now."
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