Supervisor Mikel Arteta has confirmed that Martin Odegaard and Julian Timber will likely be absent from Arsenal’s essential Champions League spherical of 16 second leg in opposition to Bayer Leverkusen.
The announcement was an enormous blow to the Gunners, who hope to qualify for the quarter-finals after a hard-fought 1-1 draw within the first leg in Germany.
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In Monday’s pre-match press convention, Arteta spoke candidly about the potential of signing his captain and star defender.
“Julian Timber and Martin Odegaard will likely be absent tomorrow in opposition to Bayer Leverkusen,” the coach stated (quoted by Fabrizio Romano).
Arsenal will likely be with out key gamers in opposition to Bayer Leverkusen
Odegaard’s absence will likely be particularly felt in midfield because the Norwegian continues to battle with a knee damage sustained in February.
There have been hopes that he might return for this match, however he remained absent from Monday’s coaching session.
Julian Timber’s damage is a newer setback. The Dutchman, some of the gifted defenders on this season’s competitors, hobbled off within the first half of Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Everton on Saturday.
Arteta steered that whereas Timber’s downside might not be too critical, the restoration time could also be too quick for a European fixture.
Arsenal will seemingly depend on both Piero Hincapie, who’s on mortgage from Leverkusen however is eligible, or Cristian Mosquera to fill the opening on the again.
Arsenal have a robust probability of profitable the quadruple title
Regardless of the damage impression, the environment across the Emirates Stadium stays electrical as Arsenal proceed their quest for an unprecedented quadruple.
The Gunners are at the moment 9 factors clear on the prime of the Premier League desk and have already booked their place within the FA Cup quarter-finals.
With the Carabao Cup remaining in opposition to Manchester Metropolis looming this Sunday, Arteta will likely be determined to beat Leverkusen to maintain his dream of profitable the quadruple title alive.
The arrival of 16-year-old Max Dauman, who grew to become the youngest goalscorer in Premier League historical past on the weekend, gave the staff much more momentum.
