Arsenal look set to be without four players for their Champions League semi-final second leg against Atletico Madrid, despite Mikel Arteta’s suggestion that two could make comebacks.
Arsenal had four injury absentees at the weekend, with Jurrien Timber, Mikel Merino, Kai Havertz, and Martin Odegaard all missing out on the squad to face Fulham.
Yet there had been initial optimism that Havertz and Odegaard might be back for the Atletico Champions League semi-final second leg on Tuesday, with Mikel Arteta suggesting it was a strong possibility.
“I think so (that they’ll be back),” Arteta said. “Both of them, they’re going to do everything, we’re going to do everything to have them ready for the game.”
Unfortunately, those words haven’t been followed by Havertz or Odegaard returning to training, with Monday’s open training session in front of the media revealing that the pair remain absent.
That doesn’t guarantee that they won’t be available for the squad on Tuesday, but it does make it a lot less likely than if they’d been spotted with the team the day prior to the game.
On the other two, Merino isn’t expected back yet, if at all this season. Then Timber’s ability to feature again this campaign has also been called into question, with John Cross reporting for the Mirror that the player hasn’t been able to step up his training after a groin injury.
Cross claims Timber is sweating on playing again this season, so a return this week seems to be completely out of the question.
The good news is that everyone else seems to be available. Bukayo Saka and Riccardo Calafiori both survived their return to the starting lineup on Saturday to be involved in training again on Monday, and there’s no sign of any new injury concerns.
Arsenal should have roughly the same squad they had for the first leg, with Odegaard the only potential new absentee.
Arteta’s pre-match press conference could provide further clarity, with the Arsenal boss due to speak to the media on Monday evening.
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