Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard and forward Kai Havertz have picked up fresh injuries on international duty, piling further pressure on Mikel Arteta's already stretched squad. The Norway midfielder was hurt by a challenge from Bernardo Silva in the match against Portugal, while the German forward was forced off with a muscle injury in the 30th minute against the Netherlands and has returned to London Colney, Arsenal's training base, for treatment. Asked by Norwegian television whether the injury would keep him out, Odegaard kept his answer short. "I hope not. But I got a knock on my ankle there. It probably won't be good tonight," he admitted.
Nor is the damage confined to the attack. Arsenal's defence is in an equally critical state: Jurrien Timber has missed three matches with a muscle injury, William Saliba remains sidelined by a back problem and Ben White was ruled out of England's squad through injury. Arteta has insisted that Saliba's recovery must be handled with particular caution. Still smarting from a 3-0 defeat by Brighton and stretched thin by absentees, Arsenal host Leeds United at the Emirates Stadium on 10 October.
