Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka thinks his forced break will help him and his team prepare for Real Madrid in the Champions League quarterfinals on Tuesday, but players don’t like layoffs.
Saka’s comeback from a catastrophic hamstring injury may be too late to preserve Arsenal’s Premier League title hopes, but European success is possible. Mikel Arteta’s most valuable player is Saka.
Saka scored in Arsenal’s Premier League win against Fulham last week after missing England’s first two World Cup qualifiers last month. Saka feels his freshness will help Arsenal shock Real Madrid—they need him to be on fire.
“It was the first appropriate break I’ve had; I’ve been playing game after game for five years,” said. “My experience was great. I had to complete some unusual chores. Coming back feels terrific and mentally fresh.
“I am simply focused now on the positives and I could not ask to come back at a better time of the season than now.”
This season, Bukayo Saka has scored 10 goals and 14 assists in 26 appearances, including four in the Champions League, highlighting his worth to Arsenal.
Bayern Munich eliminated Arsenal in the quarterfinals last year as they were tied with Manchester City for the Premier League title. All their eggs are in their European basket this time, and Saka says Tuesday’s opening leg could be the best at the Emirates Stadium.
“It’s a very big night and the stakes are high against one of the best teams in the competition,” said.
“It’s the first time the club has been in back-to-back Champions League quarter-finals for a while, so tomorrow night we want to try and go beyond the line.”