Let’s get the bad news out of the way first- Arsenal team captain Martin Odegaard is ruled out of tomorrow night’s UEFA Champions League round of 16 clash at Bayer Leverkusen. Odegaard is still recovering from a minor knee injury. Also forward/midfielder Leandro Trossard and defender Riccardo Calafiori are both doubts, after each of them were forced off early in Saturday’s FA Cup fifth round win at lower tier Mansfield Town, due to injury.
UEFA Champions League Round of 16
Arsenal at Bayer Leverkusen Leg 1 of 2
Kickoff: Wed March 11, 5:45 pm kickoff, Bay Arena, Leverkusen, Germany
More on Kai Havertz returning to Leverkusen: go here
Early Arsenal FC Team News: go here
Google Result Probability for 90 Min: Arsenal win 62% Draw 22% Bayer Leverkusen win 16%
Arsenal Injury Updates
Speaking during his prematch press conference, earlier today, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said: “Those two are a possibility that they are available, and we’ll see tomorrow.”
Now, turning to the good news, French defender William Saliba has recovered from his ankle twist and will be fit to feature here.
Arteta confirmed this, as well as the availability of the players who were rested during the FA Cup triumph: Gabriel Magalhães, Declan Rice and Martín Zubimendi.
The winner of the Arsenal-Bayer Leverkusen tie will meet the winner of the Bodo/Glimt-Sporting CP tie in the quarterfinals.
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, RG.org and Ratings.org. 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 and the Washington Post.