Martin Odegaard targeting Arsenal injury return in time for THREE huge games
Martin Odegaard is expected to miss the next month of action due to a knee injury sustained in Arsenal’s 2-0 win over West Ham United before the international break
Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard is set to be sidelined for at least five weeks due to a knee injury. The Norwegian has been plagued by issues in recent months, with his latest setback expected to keep him out of action until after the November international break.
The 26-year-old had already seen limited game time this season due to a shoulder injury that has forced him off on two separate occasions in the first half of Arsenal games against Leeds United and Nottingham Forest. In the 2-0 win over West Ham United prior to the international break, he was taken off for the third consecutive time in a league clash at Emirates Stadium.
Odegaard subsequently withdrew from the Norway squad to undergo further tests on his knee at London Colney. BBC Sport have since reported that he will remain unavailable until after the November international break with an MCL injury.
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As a result, Odegaard will miss Arsenal’s away games against Fulham, Burnley, Slavia Prague and Sunderland, as well as home matches against Atletico Madrid, Crystal Palace and Brighton across three different competitions. However, manager Mikel Arteta can take solace in the fact that he has three more than capable options to fill in for the injured captain.
Eberechi Eze, a summer signing, is the most likely candidate to step in and is expected to take up one of the advanced No. 8 roles at Fulham this weekend. Ethan Nwaneri and Mikel Merino are also options for Arteta with both capable of excelling in an advanced midfield role despite both doing well in very different positions last season.
Arteta will be eager to have Odegaard back in action as soon as possible, ideally in time for the North London Derby against Tottenham. The Spurs match at Emirates Stadium falls on Sunday, 23 November, conveniently the first game after the final two-week domestic break of 2025.
If Odegaard is not quite ready to make his comeback then, he will be pushing to play a role in two important games the following week against Bayern Munich and Chelsea.
No Odegaard for any of those matches could be a cruel blow with Arteta needing the full compliment of his squad for three tough games in the space of seven days.
Noni Madueke and Kai Havertz, two of Arsenal’s key players, are aiming for November comebacks after both sustaining knee injuries. Havertz has only played 31 minutes this season, while Madueke frequently used in the absence of Bukayo Saka following his summer transfer from Chelsea.
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Sky Sports discounted Premier League and EFL package
Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £192 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.
Sky will show at least 215 live Premier League games next season, an increase of up to 100 more.
