The October international break brought yet another injury concern for Arsenal, and their team captain Martin Odegaard. The statement, in regards to the Norwegian midfielder, read: “Martin has withdrawn from the Norway national team for their upcoming matches against Israel and New Zealand after sustaining a medial collateral ligament injury to his left knee.”
Obviously, an MCL is nothing to mess with, but it sounds like it’s not too bad of a recovery and return timeline.
London Derby FYIs
Fulham vs Arsenal
Kickoff Time: 5.30 p.m. GMT, Sat. Oct. 18
Location: Craven Cottage, London, UK
Arsenal Preview Material: Full Injury Report Team News Starting Lineup Prediction
Google Result Probability: Fulham FC 16% Draw 22% Arsenal 62%
Gunners Team News
According to reports, Odegaard could be back available after the November international break. It’s pretty much the same timeline for Noni Madueke, who remains in the recovery and rehabilitation process from the knee injury that he suffered earlier this season. Now for the good news, Declan Rice is fine, and even featured for England over the FIFA window.
There was some genuine cause for concern there as he had to exit the last match early due to lower back pain. Elsewhere Piero Hincapie is scheduled to return this weekend, having recovered from his groin injury.
And then finally, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus remain sidelined, as long-term knee injury absentees
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