Mikel Arteta Confirms Surprise Arsenal Injury Boost Ahead of Bournemouth & PSG Clashes

Mikel Arteta

Mikel Arteta Confirms Surprise Arsenal Injury Boost Ahead of Bournemouth & PSG Clashes

Festus Chuma 10:17 - 03.05.2025

Mikel Arteta confirms Kai Havertz may return this season, boosting Arsenal ahead of crucial Bournemouth and PSG matches.

Arsenal are set to receive a significant boost in their pursuit of a strong finish to the season and Champions League glory as manager Mikel Arteta revealed that Kai Havertz could return from injury earlier than expected.

The German international has been sidelined with a hamstring injury since January, and initial fears suggested he would miss the remainder of the campaign.

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However, Havertz's recovery has progressed well in recent weeks, raising hopes that he could feature in Arsenal’s crucial run-in — which includes the Premier League clash against Bournemouth on Saturday and the second leg of their Champions League semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain.

“I think so. If everything goes the way it's going at the way at the moment and way it's planned he will have the chance to play a few more games this season,” Arteta said in his pre-match press conference as per Mirror.

Havertz’s return would be a timely one for the Gunners, who are still in the hunt for both domestic and European success. Arsenal trail 1-0 to PSG following the first leg in Paris and will need all the firepower they can muster to overturn the deficit in next week’s return fixture at the Emirates.

Adding to the positive news, Arteta also confirmed that Italian midfielder Jorginho could soon be back in contention after a spell out with a knock.

Arteta was keen to emphasize the importance of Saturday’s Premier League encounter against Bournemouth.

A win against the Cherries would put Arsenal on the brink of securing Champions League football for next season, particularly if Chelsea and Nottingham Forest both drop points this weekend.

“The only thing we can control is our performances, emotional state,” Arteta said.

“There are still a lot of things we want to do in the Premier League.”

Despite Arsenal’s impressive home form — they have lost just once at the Emirates all season in the league — recent draws have slowed their momentum.

Arteta acknowledged the need to remain focused on the immediate challenge and not get distracted by thoughts of a European final.

“We have to earn the right to win the game by being better against Bournemouth. It’s a lot of Ifs,” he said. “The most important one is to increase the probabilities of winning our game. That’s the most important thing.”

Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola, meanwhile, acknowledged the difficulty of the task ahead.

The Cherries are aiming to maintain their recent run of form, which includes four unbeaten games, but Iraola admitted that even their best may not be enough at the Emirates.

“Arsenal is going to be very, very, very difficult. They’ve lost one game this season (in the league) at home,” he said.

“To beat them you have to be something special. If you play at your normal level, it’s not going to be enough.”

“Defensively they are the best team in the league by far. The number of goals they’ve conceded is ridiculously low,” he added.

“But also they had some draws, they had some results probably not the ones they wanted and we’ll try also to get one.”