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Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka has been building up his fitness over the past two games, but should he start against Real Madrid?
It has been a sight for sore eyes to see Bukayo Saka playing for Arsenal over the past week after the winger missed three months thanks to a hamstring injury that required surgery.
The Gunners' attack suffered immensely as a result and now that Saka was cleared to return, a delicate balancing act had to be performed by the Arsenal coaching staff.
We stated that the Gunners had to play a cautious game with Saka, getting him to come on as a substitute and build up his fitness in preparation for Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals.
And it appears that Mikel Arteta and Co. have listened. Saka got 30 minutes against Fulham and then 49 against Everton as he is building up his fitness after such a long time out of the game. That is the smart approach because the last thing Arsenal and fans want is for Saka to be pushed too hard too early and break down again.
But now, he is getting quite the solid base to build from with minutes against Fulham and Everton, but the big question many are asking themselves is should Saka start midweek against Madrid?
Should Saka start against Real Madrid?
The easy answer is yes, because if the Gunners have any hope of slaying the Spanish giants, Saka will have to play a big role in their downfall. But is just 79 combined minutes over the past two games enough to warrant a start at the Emirates?
Given the first leg is at home, Arsenal should be all gas, no brakes in an attempt to try and take a lead back to the Santiago Bernabéu for the second leg, and that likely means Saka starts.
"He's in a much better place," Arteta said via arsenal.com when asked if Saka could start midweek.
That doesn't sound like Arteta is too confident, but such is the gravity of the match, if Saka starts, he will likely need to finish it as well. Does he have enough juice in the tank after such a long layoff to accomplish that?
If Arsenal is to make a great fist of this first leg, he will likely have to.