Arteta expects Saka return as Arsenal chase Manchester City

Bukayo Saka’s expected return gave Arsenal a timely lift just as the championship race reached its most fragile point. Mikel Arteta said on April 24 that the winger was likely to be back in the squad for Newcastle United, a development that could shape both Arsenal’s Premier League push and their run into the Champions League semi-finals.

The timing matters because Arsenal and Manchester City were level on 70 points after 33 matches, level again on +37 goal difference, with City top only because they had scored more goals, 66 to 63. Each club had five league matches left, and the Premier League said this was only the second time in its history that the top two had been level on points and goal difference with five or fewer matches remaining and the same number of games played. In a race this tight, one attacker’s availability can change the margins more than any tactical tweak.

Saka’s importance goes beyond raw numbers, although those are strong enough on their own. He had made 27 Premier League appearances this season, including five as a substitute, and had produced six goals and three assists. Since missing time with an Achilles problem after Arsenal’s League Cup final defeat to Manchester City, Arsenal’s attack had looked less balanced. The club lost three of its last five matches and fell out of the FA Cup race, a reminder of how quickly momentum can drain when one of the side’s most reliable creators is absent.

Arteta said Saka and Riccardo Calafiori were “probably” going to be in the squad against Newcastle, while Jurrien Timber remained unavailable. That slightly improves Arsenal’s depth, but it does not remove the broader issue: the club’s title bid still looks heavily shaped by the health of its top attackers. Saka’s return is not simply about one fixture at St James’ Park. It is about whether Arsenal can hold their level across a packed finish line.

The schedule makes the stakes even sharper. Arsenal’s Champions League semi-final first leg against Atlético Madrid is set for April 29, with the return leg on May 5. Managing fatigue, fitness and selection across those dates will be as important as any single result in the league. Arsenal have been here before, too. Their 1998/99 season ended with a second-place finish, one point behind Manchester United, a warning that title races are often decided by the smallest swings in availability and form.