Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Arsenal have been handed an injury boost ahead of the North London derby with Tottenham later this weekend.
THE LOWDOWN: RETURN TO ACTION
Skipper Martin Odegaard missed the win at Brentford shortly before the international break, as the Gunners returned to the summit of the league. The Norwegian sustained a calf injury that ruled him out of the trip and was a doubt for the internationals.
You can see how the bookies are seeing this news with Ladbrokes betting offers and it is clear from the odds, Arsenal are now seen, once again, as contenders.
However, Odegaard returned to full training with Norway and manager Stale Solbakken said there was a “good chance” he would feature in some games before returning to London, which he did.
On the other hand, Kieran Tierney, who started Arsenal’s previous two games, also featured for the Scottish national team but was withdrawn in the game against the Republic of Ireland.
It appears that both players and a couple of others are available for selection ahead of the visit of Spurs to the Emirates this weekend.
THE LATEST: TIMELY BOOST
Arsenal’s Martin Odegaard and Kieran Tierney are available for selection ahead of October’s North London derby.
The Gunners’ skipper returned to action at the weekend when he managed 71 minutes of a 2-1 defeat for Norway at Stadion Stozice in Slovenia before he was replaced by Benfica midfielder Fredrik Aursnes. If there are no setbacks, Odegaard, who is also Norway’s captain, is certain to start against Serbia in Oslo on Tuesday as they battle for Nations League promotion.
As for Kieran Tierney who also featured in the Nations League on Saturday, the left-back started for Scotland against the Republic of Ireland in Glasgow but was subbed off before half-time of the 2-1 comeback win at Hampden Park. Meanwhile, Scotland boss Steve Clarke confirmed after the match that Tierney was fine and that the change was a precaution.
“[Aaron Hickey and Kieran Tierney] Both of them are okay,” said Clarke. “We took Kieran off as a precaution. Aaron felt a tightness, so we took him off as a precaution.”
However, Thomas Partey has withdrawn from Ghana’s squad, having sustained a knee injury before the game against Brazil in Le Havre on Friday. He is expected to return to London for further assessment.
On the other hand, Takehiro Tomiyasu also returned early from international duty over the weekend; Japan described it as “club circumstances” rather than any injury setback after Friday’s 2-0 win over the United States in Germany.
THE VERDICT: MIXED FEELING
The return of Martin Odegaard is great but the possibility of losing Thomas Partey ahead of the visit of Spurs is a huge blow. Arsenal will need the best legs to be fit if the season’s objective will be achieved.
Mikel Arteta can only hope that those missing at the moment will make a return in no distant time.
