Arsenal striker Viktor Gyokeres is going to miss the Gunners’ Champions League clash against Slavia Prague.
The Gunners extended their lead at the top of the Premier League table over the weekend, beating Burnley 2-0 at Turf Moor, in what ended up being a comfortable afternoon for Mikel Arteta’s side. They turn their attention to the Champions League this week with a game on Tuesday night against Slavia Prague.
Most Read on Gooner News
However, they suffered a major injury blow on Saturday as Viktor Gyokeres had to be taken off at half time with a muscle issue. Mikel Arteta has since said that he won’t be available for the Champions League game on Tuesday.
It is not clear whether he will be back for their next Premier League game against Sunderland, but after that there is an international break, so we may not see the Swedish striker again until late November.
Arsenal told to play Merino instead of Gyokeres
So, with the likes of Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus also out injured, who does Arteta play up front. He has previously picked Leandro Trossard and Mikel Merino in the striker role to play as a sort of false nine, and is expected to do the same this week.
Former Chelsea midfielder Jody Morris appeared on Sky Sports News on Tuesday morning, and he said that Merino should be the man to replace Gyokeres. The Gunners used Merino as a striker at times last season after he joined from Real Sociedad for £32m in the summer of 2024. Morris said: “I don’t see it being too big of a problem to be honest for this particular game. I think we’ve seen Merino play there last year, done well, scored a few goals, scored quite a lot of goals for Spain of late as well.”
However, Morris did say that if Gyokeres were to remain out for a longer period of time, it would become an issue for Arsenal, as he compared their situation to having a lack of striker last season. He said: “Is it a bigger problem going forward, yes, if they’re going to be out for a lengthy period of time.
“Arsenal can dominate games by controlling it. They can still easily come out on the victorious side of games, but it is something that they missed last year, and it’s the whole reason why they went out big to go and get Gyokeres. I don’t see it being a big problem unless Havertz and Gyokeres are going to be out for some time.”
Click here to see all of Arsenal’s latest injury news and expected return dates.