Arsenal take on North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday afternoon but the fitness of captain Martin Odegaard remains in question just hours ahead of the game
Mikel Arteta has suggested that Martin Odegaard could still have a massive say on the North London derby even if he is ruled out. The Arsenal captain has missed a huge chunk of the current campaign with various issues.
He was sidelined as Arsenal drew 2-2 with struggling Wolves in midweek. Speaking ahead of this week’s clash with Tottenham Hotspur, Gunners boss Arteta has bemoaned his captain being absent.
“We’re missing him for the biggest part of the season,” Arteta said. “You see the percentage of times that he’s been available or not with us is far from ideal.
“But again, he’s been part of that journey in this year to deal with a lot of injuries and a lot of important players out, like we have right now. And the team has done extremely well to maintain the level. Injuries are probably the worst part of our profession.
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“And when a player has a big sequence of events and understanding Martin as well and how involved he wants to be in the team, it is tough. So yeah, we’ve been very close to him.”
Asked if Odegaard could still hold a pre-match team talk even if he is restricted to the sidelines, Arteta replied: “Depends. That normally comes from them.
“If somebody wants to say something or they have discussed with the leadership group what they really think that is going to make the difference on the day, they have absolute freedom to do that.
“So if he wants to do that, more than welcome. When it comes from them, much more powerful.”
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Arteta had already spoken out on the chance of Odegaard taking to the pitch on Sunday, as well as the fitness of Kai Havertz. Speaking about the pair in his pre-match press conference, he said: “Well, we have to wait until tomorrow but there is a big possibility that they are available for the game.”
Arsenal are in dire need of victory in order to put the spark back into their push for the Premier League title. The Gunners now have just a two-point advantage over Manchester City after Pep Guardiola’s side beat Newcastle 2-1 on Saturday evening.
Spurs also need three points for their own reasons, with the North London side having endured a miserable season so far. Ahead of Igor Tudor’s first game at the helm, they sit just four points clear of the relegation zone.