Arsenal boss Arteta worried by Gyokeres injury

Mikel Arteta has conceded he is concerned over Viktor Gyokeres’ injury, which will keep the striker out of Arsenal’s clash with Slavia Prague.

Gyokeres scored in Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Burnley on Saturday, but was then forced off with a muscular issue.

The Sweden international, who netted twice in Arsenal’s last Champions League match – a 4-0 defeat of Atletico Madrid – has not travelled with Arteta’s squad for Tuesday’s fixture in the Czech capital.

And Arteta is worried, given the former Sporting CP striker does not tend to go down with injuries regularly.

“I am concerned. Because he hasn’t had many muscular issues and he needed to leave the pitch and he was feeling something,” said Arteta on Monday.

“It’s never a good sign for a player who is explosive. We are digging in a little bit more to understand the extent and where we are in terms of the injury.”

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Arteta will have to shift his attack around against Slavia, as the Gunners aim to maintain their pristine record in this season’s Champions League.

One option could be to play Leandro Trossard down the middle, though the Belgium international would prefer to be stationed out wide.

“I think at the moment it’s the left-wing position,” said Trossard of his preferred role. “At least I have some consistency there now, I think I have shown that as well on the pitch.

“But I’m always able to play in any kind of position in the front positions. So if the manager wants me to play there, I will try to do my best.”

Gabriel Martinelli could also be an option up top.

Martinelli has scored in all three of Arsenal’s Champions League matches in 2025-26. The only Gunners player to score in their first four matches in a major European campaign was Ian Wright in the 1994-95 Cup Winners’ Cup (scored in first eight).