Viktor Gyokeres has not been included in the Sweden squad for their upcoming World Cup qualifiers, with the Arsenal striker currently sidelined with a muscle injury
Viktor Gyokeres
Viktor Gyokeres will not play for Sweden this month(Image: Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA, Getty Images)
View 2 Images
Viktor Gyokeres is out of Sweden's World Cup qualifiers against Slovenia and Switzerland in mid-November due to injury. Arsenal substituted their striker at half-time during the weekend's 2-0 victory over Burnley, and Gyokeres then missed their Champions League clash with Slavia Prague on Tuesday night due to a muscle problem.
Mikel Merino stepped up in his absence, scoring twice in their 3-0 midweek triumph. Following the latest news from Sweden, it seems highly unlikely that Gyokeres will feature in Saturday evening's match against Sunderland.
Sweden, now managed by former Chelsea and West Ham United boss Graham Potter, announced their squad on Wednesday morning. Liverpool's Alexander Isak is in despite his own injury concerns; however, there was no room for Gyokeres.
A post on the Swedish Football Association's website confirmed that both he and Tottenham Hotspur's Dejan Kulusevski are out due to injury. Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta discussed Gyokeres' condition during his pre-match press conference on Monday.
"He's definitely not available," the Gunners boss confirmed. "He hasn't trained today, and we need to do some more tests and scans in the next few days to understand the extent of the injury, but for this game, he's not available.
"I am concerned because he hasn't had many muscular issues, and he had to leave the pitch. He was feeling something, and that's obviously never a good sign. Especially for a player that is very, very explosive, so we are digging in a little bit more to understand where we are in terms of the injury, and we will announce it when we know more."
LONDON COLNEY, ENGLAND - AUGUST 15: Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta attends a press conference at Sobha Realty Training Centre on August 15, 2025 in London Colney, England. (Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Mikel Arteta acknowledged his concerns about the injury Viktor Gyokeres sustained
View 2 Images
Arteta added: "Well, obviously, he was very disappointed after the match with what he felt, but this is part of football. At the end of the day, if you expect a linear line, everything going up, it's not going to happen.
"If he's got something he's going to have to deal with, we will help him to do that. He was in a really good moment, in really good form; he's very important for the team."
Potter also addressed the concussion Spurs midfielder Lucas Bergvall is recovering from. "Lucas has had a concussion, but hopefully he can be there when it's time for us to play.
"Alex (Isak) can hopefully play a bit this weekend and will be in Spain on Monday." Potter said of the squad in general: "I think we have chosen a very good group with different qualities, which is needed."
He also explained: "I have taken help from Sebastian (Larsson) and the rest of the staff in a rewarding way to get a good look at how everything worked during previous sessions, while we have looked at as many players as possible to also identify what we need to add for the upcoming matches."
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Content Image
Content Image