There are concerns over the fitness of Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard following his withdrawal from Tuesday night’s win over Sporting CP.
Tuesday’s Champions League quarter-final first leg match between Sporting CP and Arsenal was generally a positive one for the Gunners, as they secured a 1-0 win to take back to the Emirates Stadium.
But one worrying sign was Martin Odegaard’s early withdrawal, particularly with Eberechi Eze currently sidelined through injury.
The BBC’s Alex Howell reported that Odegaard appeared to have a bit of a limp as he left the field in the 70th minute, and he had a long talk with Mikel Arteta before sitting on the bench.
In a slightly more positive update, Arteta said after the game that the substitution was “partly tactical” and “precautionary”, given Odegaard’s recent injury problems.
Even so, concerns about a potential setback will remain until the fans see the Norway international back in the matchday squad, ideally against Bournemouth on Saturday.
The Bournemouth match is looking increasingly significant, as a win would put pressure on Manchester City ahead of Sunday’s match for Pep Guardiola’s side away to Chelsea. It’s also the last Premier League game Arsenal play before next week’s trip to the Etihad Stadium.
Arsenal will certainly want Odegaard in the team for both of those Premier League clashes, as well as the Champions League quarter-final second leg next Wednesday if possible.