Arteta confirms key Arsenal midfielder will be out with an injury against Bayer Leverkusen | OneFootball

Arsenal’s quest for a maiden European crown faces a significant hurdle as manager Mikel Arteta confirmed that captain Martin Ødegaard will miss tonight’s Champions League Round of 16 first leg against Bayer Leverkusen. Ødegaard has been grappling with a persistent knee injury originally sustained during a 1-1 draw with Brentford last month.

While the Norwegian international briefly returned for the North London Derby against Tottenham, he has since missed Arsenal’s last three fixtures.

Reports suggest he may be sidelined until late March or early April, leaving him in a race against time to be fit for the Carabao Cup final against Manchester City later this month.

Arteta confirmed the update ahead of Leverkusen clash

Arteta delivered a blow to the Gunners’ creative plans, simply stating of his talismanic midfielder, as reported by the official Arsenal website: “He’s out.”

While the loss of Ødegaard is a setback, the Arsenal squad received a major boost elsewhere. William Saliba has been passed fit after missing the last two games with an ankle issue.

Declan Rice, Gabriel Magalhaes, and Martin Zubimendi are all available after being rested during the weekend’s 2-1 FA Cup victory over Mansfield Town.

Ben White traveled with the squad to Germany and could feature.

Alongside Ødegaard, Mikel Merino remains out following foot surgery, while Riccardo Calafiori and Leandro Trossard are considered late fitness tests.

Arsenal will not rely on Eberechi Eze in Ødegaard’s absence

Eberechi Eze in action for Arsenal (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

Arteta is expected to turn to Eberechi Eze to occupy the number 10 role.

Eze has been in sparkling form, recently netting a brace against Tottenham and the winner in the FA Cup.

He is likely to support a front line featuring Viktor Gyökeres and former Leverkusen star Kai Havertz, who returns to the BayArena for the first time since his 2020 departure.

The Gunners will be hoping to take advantage in the first leg of the Round of 16 clash against the German side.

Although Arsenal are clear favourites to go through the next round, the Champions League has a habit of coming up with surprises.