Ben White has joined the growing list of Arsenal absentees ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League opener against Athletic Club.
The versatile defender started the first game of the season away to Manchester United but missed the subsequent two fixtures with a knock. White was fit enough to make the bench for Saturday’s 3–0 breeze against Nottingham Forest but wasn’t part of the travelling party which ventured to Bilbao this week.
White is not alone. Mikel Arteta confirmed that Martin Ødegaard and Bukayo Saka, who both missed Monday’s training session, would not feature either. Long-term absentees Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus take Arsenal’s injury list up to five.
It remains to be seen quite how long Ødegaard will be sidelined. Arsenal’s captain suffered a reoccurrence of a shoulder issue against Forest but will not have to undergo surgery.
Saka also avoided the knife following damage to his hamstring last month. Speaking in his pre-match press conference on Monday, Arteta revealed: “I think there are still quite a lot of things to go through [for Saka]. It’s very early to understand when and which week he’s going to be available. But he will certainly be pushing to be available as quickly as possible.”
Encouragingly, William Saliba and Christian Nørgaard will be in contention to feature after enduring fitness issues of their own.
Arsenal’s recruitment over the summer has already been tested. Viktor Gyökeres and Martín Zubimendi were naturally expected to be swiftly thrust into the starting XI, but injuries have provided an early flood of minutes for Noni Madueke and Cristhian Mosquera.
Madueke, in particular, will likely be called into action on Tuesday. The former Chelsea forward, who won last season’s Conference League, has never played in the Champions League proper. Madueke helped PSV Eindhoven navigate two rounds of qualifying in the summer of 2021 only to fall short against Benfica at the final hurdle.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Arsenal Dealt Another Injury Blow on Eve of Champions League Opener.
