Arsenal FC are in nothing short of full-blown injury crisis ahead of the North London Derby. And it all starts at the top with club captain Martin Odegaard, who missed international duty for Norway due to an ankle injury.
Norway manager Ola Sand said: “Such ankle injuries often take at least three weeks, Anything other than that is just a bonus. And then it can take longer.”
?? “We’ll have to wait and see”
Mikel Arteta provides an injury update on Martin Odegaard ahead of the North London derby ? pic.twitter.com/01Idxq1KAv
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) September 13, 2024
North London Derby FYIs
Kickoff: Sun. Sept. 15, 2024 at 2pm UK at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Injury Reports: Tottenham Arsenal
Team News: Tottenham Arsenal FC
Starting XI Prediction: Arsenal FC Tottenham
Google Result Probability: Arsenal 41% Draw 27% Tottenham 32%
PL Position, Form Guide: Arsenal 4th, 7 pts, WWD Tottenham 10th, 4 pts, LWDWL
Arsenal Team News
Meanwhile Gunners boss Mikel Arteta struck a more coy position, saying: “Players with 48 hours are always available but let’s see what happens.” While he is obfuscating, and doing so for obvious reasons, you can be pretty confident that Odegaard probably won’t feature in this one. The same could be said for Riccardo Calafiori, who suffered a knock on his ankle during international duty with Italy. Again, Arteta said little to nothing of value on the situation, offering only:
“It’s another one [Calafiori’s injury] where we’ll have to wait & see.”
Speaking of summer transfer signings, the debut of Mikel Merino (shoulder fracture suffered at training) will still have to wait. We won’t see him until later in the fall.
Kieran Tierney (hamstring) and Takehiro Tomiyasu (knee) remain sidelined for the long-term. Finally, Gabriel Jesus (groin) is nearing a return and could be in the mix here. He hasn’t been seen since opening day, against Wolves, and he only lasted five minutes in that one.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.