Speaking after last Sunday’s 1-0 defeat at Arsenal, Eddie Howe didn’t give much away on Alexander Isak’s availability for the final weekend of the 2024/25 Premier League season.
“It’s unknown (whether Isak will be fit for Everton),” said Howe. “He only really felt pain after training. He felt fine during training, but then he had a bit of stiffness.
“He went for a scan this morning, purely as a precaution really, but then it became obvious that he wasn’t going to be fit to play. I don’t know what will happen. I think a lot will depend on how he reacts in the next few days now.”
However, an update on Thursday morning may point to good news ahead of Sunday’s finale at St James’ Park…
Alexander Isak has just been named in the [Sweden squad](https://x.com/svenskfotboll/status/1925132471013646731) for June friendlies against Hungary and Algeria.
The striker can withdraw if injured, but there is hope this morning that this is an early sign he’s OK for this weekend’s Champions League decider at home to Everton.
Whether he’s fit or not, it’s perhaps a good idea for all parties that Isak rests and recovers after Sunday, opposed to playing two meaningless friendlies for his country.
However, the fact he’s been called up may indicate that his latest groin issue is not serious and won’t keep him out this weekend.
We’ll have to hope our top scorer is OK, as our record without the Swede this season makes for pretty grim reading.
In the games he hasn’t started, we’ve picked up the following results.
* 1-1 vs Man City
* 0-0 vs Everton
* 2-0 vs Liverpool
* 1-0 v Arsenal
No wins and just one goal scored across those four games, although we do have faith that he’s going to be OK.
Howe suggested before Arsenal that it was more stiffness and some post-training inflammation, not signs of a new or serious injury.
Isak has played with a slight knock for possibly two months now, so we’re confident he’ll manage one last push on the final day, especially when the stakes are so high.