Arsenal have had an unfortunate few weeks with injuries and suspensions leaving their midfield decimated ahead of the North London derby.
The Gunners may have lost their captain Martin Odegaard to an ankle injury after he limped off in Norway’s win over Austria.
Mikel Arteta is already without Declan Rice and Mikel Merino for the trip to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on September 15.
Rice is suspended for the game against Tottenham whilst their new Spanish signing suffered a freak shoulder injury in training.
Odegaard is due to undergo scans on September 10 to learn the full extent of the injury although initial assessments have already been made.
How bad is Martin Odegaard’s ankle injury?
Football Injury Analyst, Physio Scout on X, has revealed that Odegaard looks to have suffered a lateral ankle sprain which could be good news for Arsenal. Typically, such a sprain is worse than it appears and can allow for a quick recovery time of less than a week.
This means he could be likely to face Tottenham in the North London derby, however, further assessments are needed.
There is also the possibility of ankle ligament damage which would rule him out for a few weeks, meanwhile, a fracture is unlikely as he wouldn’t have been able to walk off the pitch.
After the game, Norway’s doctor Ola Sand told TV 2: “Martin [Ødegaard] is doing quite well now. He got a small ankle sprain. If we are unsure, there will be an MRI tomorrow [September 10].”
Suggestions that it’s just a ‘small ankle sprain’ are positive for the Gunners and suggest recovery of around a week. Plus the fact they are unsure at this stage whether to use an MRI scan to confirm suggests the injury is not severe.
Physio Scout adds: “Pretty optimistic it’s a quicker recovery due to the ‘small ankle sprain’ comment. Odegaard is likely to be fit for the North London derby, but it all depends on how fast it settles.”
Arsenal’s possible midfield vs Tottenham without Rice and Merino
Arsenal will be hoping for the best possible news for Odegaard and that he will be passed fit to feature in the North London derby.
As mentioned, the visitors will already be without two key midfielders for their trip to N17 with Rice and Merino unavailable.
Kai Havertz looks to be the most likely option to feature in midfield with the forward dropping back and Leandro Trossard taking his place in attack.
Possible Arsenal line-up vs Tottenham (4-3-3): Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Timber; Partey, Odegaard, Havertz; Martinelli, Trossard, Saka.
Possible Tottenham line-up vs Arsenal (4-3-3): Vicario; Porro, Van de Ven, Romero, Udogie; Bissouma, Maddison, Sarr; Son, Kulusevski, Solanke.
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