Arsenal 25yo to start World Cup last-32 match amid injury concerns

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·29 June 2026

Arsenal 25yo to start World Cup last-32 match amid injury concerns

William Saliba will have one last pre-match fitness test, but he’s expected to start France’s World Cup last-32 game against Sweden and Viktor Gyokeres.

Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images

Italian outlet Gazzetta.it reports that there’s good news on William Saliba ahead of France’s World Cup knockout match against Sweden, with the players set to reclaim his place in the team alongside Dayot Upamecano.

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Saliba will have one final fitness test either today or tomorrow morning, but he’s expected to ‘grit his teeth’ and make himself available for the match.

That will mean facing off against Viktor Gyokeres, who has already spoken to the media about looking forward to playing against his Arsenal teammate.

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“Yeah, I’m looking forward to seeing him and looking forward to play against him,” Gyokeres said of the matchup. “Yeah, it’s going to be fun.

“We have confidence. I think we have to believe in ourselves. We’ve seen in a lot of games at this tournament that you can win games and do well even though you play against the best teams.

“We might be the underdogs, but we still believe in ourselves.”

Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images

L’Equipe reported last week that Saliba missed training sessions and France’s match against Norway due to his ongoing back issue. The player recently admitted he’s been feeling “small discomfort for several months” already.

Saliba previously missed around three months of football in 2022/23 with a back problem, his longest absence since joining Arsenal.

The defender made 50 appearances as Arsenal won the Premier League and reached the finals of the Champions League and League Cup this season, and the Gunners have often run into difficulties without him.

Fans will now be sweating on Saliba’s continuing involvement at the World Cup and the outcome of his reported potential post-season operation.

Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images For Premier League

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