Arsenal head into Sunday’s FA Cup fourth round tie against League One strugglers Wigan Athletic without their injured captain Martin Ødegaard.
The Norwegian skipper has endured a luckless season when it comes to physical complaints. Ødegaard was forced off with an injury in the first half of three consecutive Premier League starts to begin a cursed campaign. Having shaken off shoulder and knee issues, the 27-year-old is now dealing with an impact injury he sustained during Thursday’s 1–1 draw with Brentford.
The Gunners invested heavily last summer to ensure that they would be less severely impacted by the absence of their captain—in any other year, Ødegaard’s ever-increasing tally of 14 games missed through injury would have been a catastrophic blow.
Mikel Arteta’s side have been able to manage without their creative hub for the most part, but he is developing a concerning level of familiarity with the treatment room.
Martin Ødegaard Offers Injury Update
Writing in his pre-match programme notes for Sunday’s clash, Ødegaard explained how he woke up with a throbbing knee after the midweek trip to Brentford. “I picked up a bit of an injury when they [Brentford] scored their goal, but hopefully it’s not too bad,” he wrote.
“I tried to clear the ball as it came down, but instead kicked into the player a bit, and ended up over-stretching my leg, which pinched the knee. I was able to carry on, but on Friday morning it was very sore, I was worried of course.”
Ødegaard, who had not yet been ruled out of action by the point of publication, insisted that “thankfully it looks like it’s not too bad.”
Given the calibre of opposition up against Arsenal on their own turf this weekend, it’s perhaps no great surprise that Arteta opted to avoid risking his prized skipper. Whether he will be called upon for Wednesday’s Premier League clash with rock-bottom Wolverhampton Wanderers remains to be seen, but there will surely be hope that the cunning left-footer features in some capacity during next Sunday’s north London derby.
More Upheaval Pre-Kick Off
Riccardo Calafiori had to pull out of Arsenal’s starting XI after pulling up with an issue in the warm-up. That ended Myles Lewis-Skelly’s ambitions of playing in midfield as he return to left back while Bukayo Saka was called off the bench to fill in centrally.
Elsewhere, Arteta opted for widespread rotation against Wigan. Ben White and Cristhian Mosquera afforded Gabriel Magalhães and Jurriën Timber some much-needed respite while Christian Nørgaard filled in for the rested Martín Zubimendi. Eberechi Eze reprised his role as Ødegaard’s stand-in.
Starting XI: Kepa Arrizabalaga; Ben White, William Saliba, Cristhian Mosquera, Myles Lewis-Skelly; Bukayo Saka, Christian Nørgaard, Eberechi Eze; Noni Madueke, Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Why Martin Odegaard Isn’t Playing for Arsenal vs. Wigan.
