Noni Madueke is a doubt to face Arsenal’s first leg of their Champions League quarter-final against Sporting due to a knee injury.
England winger Madueke went to ground after a collision with Uruguay’s Rodrigo Aguirre in the 38th minute of Friday’s 1-1 draw at Wembley Stadium.
The 24-year-old got back to his feet, but went back down shortly afterwards and then limped down the tunnel as he was replaced by Jarrod Bowen.
After the match, Madueke walked through Wembley’s media mixed zone with a knee brace on his left leg, sparking fears of a serious issue. However, sources briefed on the injury believe that it is a minor issue, with the forward likely to miss the FA Cup quarter-final against Southampton on Saturday and possibly the first game against Sporting on April 7.
Noni Madueke has just walked through the mixed zone at Wembley with a brace on his left leg. He had to be substituted in the first half after colliding with Uruguay’s Rodrigo Aguirre. @TheAthleticFC #AFC pic.twitter.com/5t4qMNqoPZ
— Dan Sheldon (@Dan_Sheldon_) March 27, 2026
On Friday, England coach Thomas Tuchel admitted that he was “worried” about Madueke’s injury but then said on Monday that he felt the winger would “be out for some days.”
Madueke has made 31 appearances across all competitions during his debut season with Arsenal, whom he joined from Chelsea last summer, scoring seven goals. The England international has, though, started 12 of Arsenal’s 31 league games as he competes with Bukayo Saka for the right-sided forward position in Mikel Arteta’s side.
Madueke is one of several Arsenal players who have left their national sides during this international break due to injury concerns. Compatriots Saka and Declan Rice departed from the England camp on Saturday before the team’s friendly against Japan on Tuesday, returning to Arsenal for a “medical assessment”.
“They (Saka and Rice) had medical assessments,” Tuchel said on the pair. “Just to get the narrative straight: they desperately wanted to play. They wanted desperately to be involved. It made just no sense to take this risk.
“If it had been maybe the last game of the season, we would have kept them and tried everything. But in this moment of the season, it did not make sense. The risk for making it worse was just way too big.
“They were both in discomfort, clearly in discomfort, when we did the medical assessment. So it made absolutely no sense that they stayed.”
More opportunities for Max Dowman?
Analysis from Arsenal correspondent Art de Roche
The next two months may be Arsenal’s most important in recent memory, so Arteta will need as many players fit as possible.
Madueke’s injury not being serious will be a boost, not just because it provides the Arsenal manager with more bodies, but because the former PSV man offers something different on the right wing.
The latest example of that came in Arsenal’s 1-1 draw away to Bayer Leverkusen, where Madueke replaced Saka on the hour, and brought more urgency before winning an important penalty late on.
Madueke’s more direct nature made a difference earlier in the season, but it has been after the turn of the year when his exploits in front of goal have improved, with seven goals and four assists.
Arteta has stressed the importance of utilising different profiles in positions across the pitch throughout the season, and that variety could help them maintain their nine-point lead over Manchester City in the Premier League.
Arsenal’s next two matches coming in the FA Cup and Champions League will give Madueke time to work on a potential return for the Premier League home game against Bournemouth on April 11.
In the short time without Madueke, 16-year-old Max Dowman may be the most likely deputy to Saka. Most of the midfielder’s first-team minutes have come on the right flank this season, where he made a positive impact most recently in Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Everton — supplying the cross that led to Viktor Gyokeres’ opener, and then scoring the second.
Leave a Reply