Arsenal faces a major injury setback just before their UEFA Champions League quarterfinal second leg match against Sporting.
On 14 Apr 2026 GMT+7, the latest update on Arsenal, the English Premier League leaders, ahead of their UEFA Champions League 2025-26 quarterfinal second leg match at home against Sporting Lisbon, the Portuguese top league runners-up, scheduled for Wednesday, 15 Apr 2026 GMT+7.
The latest open training session for Arsenal saw five key players absent due to injuries: Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Martin Ødegaard, Jurriën Timber, and Riccardo Calafiori.
Declan Rice was the only one to play in the most recent Premier League match, a 1-2 home defeat to Bournemouth last Saturday, completing the full 90 minutes. Although others remain sidelined, Rice also missed the final training session before facing Sporting Lisbon.
This means Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta could be without a total of six injured players as follows:
- Declan Rice (muscle injury)
- Bukayo Saka (muscle injury)
- Martin Ødegaard (muscle injury)
- Jurriën Timber (groin injury)
- Riccardo Calafiori (muscle injury)
- Mikel Merino (broken foot)
Arsenal cannot be complacent despite their 1-0 away win over Sporting Lisbon in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarterfinal last week, as their recent form has been shaky, losing three of their last four matches and already being eliminated from both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup.
