Mikel Arteta has received mixed injury news ahead of Arsenal’s Champions League trip to Bayer Leverkusen, with William Saliba back in training and Ben White travelling but Martin Odegaard is ruled out of Wednesday’s match in Germany.
The Arsenal captain was not seen in training on Tuesday and will miss the round of 16 first leg against Bayer Leverkusen on March 11 because of his knee issue. His absence removes one of the side’s key creative figures for the trip to the BayArena and he is not expected back before the end of the month.
There was more positive news elsewhere in the squad. Saliba has returned to training and Arteta has confirmed the defender is fit to start against Bayer Leverkusen.
Leandro Trossard and Riccardo Calafiori have also returned to training after being taken off against Mansfield Town in the FA Cup. Arteta said both players are a “possibility” to be available for the match in Germany, though their involvement has not been fully confirmed.
Ben White remains a concern ahead of the game. The defender has been out for a few weeks and missed training on Tuesday but travelled with the squad to Germany, leaving uncertainty over whether he will be able to feature.
About Kai Havertz, who has struggled for fitness this season, Arteta said, “Now it’s been three weeks that he’s had total consistency in terms of training, preparation and gametime, and we’re going to continue to roll that because we know how Kai can impact this team.
“It’s been something new for him. When you look at his injury record, it’s just blank. He never had a muscle injury and last year he had his hamstring injury that required surgery and then the knee injury, so it’s been a tough period. But as well a lot of great things happened in his private life as well.
“When you talk about a 15-20 year career, you’re going to have to go unfortunately, most likely, through these moments. If there is a person that has the right combination of humbleness, patience and love for the game and a competitive edge, that’s certain Kai. He had difficult moments but that’s why we are here and all his teammates and family are there. Now he needs to really enjoy all the work that he’s put in to see the results at the end of the season.”
Arsenal will definitely be without Mikel Merino, who underwent foot surgery in February 2026. His expected return is not anticipated until late May at the earliest.