Arsenal’s trip to Bayern Munich for matchday three of the Champions League league phase got off to the worst possible start.

With the game still goalless and fewer than 10 minutes on the clock, Bukayo Saka went down after kicking the ball across the pitch and was soon clutching his leg. He couldn’t continue, and Eberechi Eze replaced him.

Bukayo Saka gestured towards his left quad

Sam Dean of The Telegraph posted on X: “Saka had a quick chat with Arteta before going down the tunnel. He gestured towards his left quad.”

The severity of the injury isn’t known yet, and we should get a clearer picture when Arteta speaks after the game. But the way he went down after striking the ball, and the area he pointed to, suggest it’s a muscular issue, which is the last thing Arsenal need.

Saka is one of the most important players in the squad, and we all remember how much he was missed when a hamstring injury kept him out for months in the 2024/25 season. With Everton up next in the Premier League, Arteta will be desperate for good news.

The mood did lift quickly, though. Eze made an instant impact off the bench, opening the scoring on 25 minutes. He latched on to a wonderful pass from Martin Odegaard out to the left, brought it down into his stride, and fired a powerful left-footed finish past Manuel Neuer into the bottom corner. The flag initially went up, but a VAR check showed Josip Stanisic had played him onside.

Bayern hit back on 35 minutes. Harry Kane dropped deep and played a superb pass from the halfway line in behind Jurrien Timber, and Alphonso Davies opened his body up to roll a right-footed finish past David Raya. It was 1-1 at half-time.