There is another huge blow for all the Arsenal fans as their captain, Martin Odegaard, is likely to be out of the squad for the match against arch-rivals, Tottenham Hotspur. Odegaard suffered an ankle injury during Norway’s clash with Austria in the UEFA Nations League qualifiers. The Arsenal captain was forced off the pitch in the 67th minute of the game, after the Austrian forward, Christoph Baumgartner, fouled him.
The international break is finally over, and the regular club season is going to start again from this weekend. So, for Mikel Arteta and all the Arsenal fans, the injury of Martin Odegaard is a huge blow.
Martin Odegaard’s ankle injury during the international break
Norway and Arsenal captain, Martin Odegaard, left the pitch in the 67th minute during the match against Austria in the UEFA Nations League. After Austria forward Christoph Baumgartner challenged him, Odegaard’s foot stuck in the turf and twisted. Odegaard immediately left the game following this incident. Odegaard’s teammate and Manchester City forward, Erling Haaland, offered him a consolatory hand, before he left the ground.
After the match, the head coach of the Norway national team revealed that Odegaard’s injury “looks bad”. Apart from that, Norway NT doctor, Ola Sand, also offered an update on Martin Odegaard. The doctor said,
“He got a small ankle sprain. We will see, maybe we use ultrasound to look at it. If we are unsure, there will be an MRI tomorrow.”
Arsenal’s next three fixtures in the Premier League and the midfielder crisis
Arsenal already lost their star midfielder and English international, Declan Rice, due to his two-game suspension after he was shown a red card in the game against Brighton. New signing Mikel Merino is also out of action because of a shoulder injury. Things got worse last week after Arsenal’s new Italian defender, Riccardo Calafiori, also picked up a muscle issue on international duty, which creates more doubt about his presence in the squad in the upcoming fixtures.
Two big fixtures are coming for Arsenal in the Premier League. The Gunners will resume their Premier League journey against arch-rivals, Tottenham Hotspur, later this week away from home. Without Declan Rice, Mikel Merino, and probably Martin Odegaard, it will be a difficult task for Mikel Arteta and his men. After the Tottenham match, The Gunners will start the new Champions League journey against Atalanta, also away from home. And finally, the Gunners will finish their away run of fixtures, when they travel to Manchester to Pep Guardiola’s giants.
Arsenal boss, Mikel Arteta, will have to “re-design” his midfield without Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard for the match against Tottenham. Just before the international break started, the Gunners dropped points in the game against Brighton at home. Arsenal are currently in the fourth spot in the table, with seven points in three matches, two points behind league leaders, Manchester City. So, the next three fixtures are very crucial for Arsenal.
New signing Raheem Sterling could start for Arsenal in the Tottenham Hotspur match, as some of the high-profile players are not available for the match, and probably Martin Odegaard will not also be available. So, the 29-year-old could get his first Arsenal start against Spurs.
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