Arsenal Captain Martin Odegaard Ruled Out of Crucial Chelsea Clash - Here's Why
Mikel Arteta selected an identical starting lineup for Arsenal's Premier League encounter against Chelsea on Sunday, though there was one modification to the matchday roster: the injured Martin Ødegaard was absent from the squad.
The Arsenal skipper has endured a challenging personal season. This weekend's London fixture marked the 16th game Ødegaard has been unavailable for this campaign, surpassing the number he missed throughout the entire 2024–25 season, which was already considered a difficult period for the creative midfielder.
Following his recovery from a persistent shoulder issue in the early weeks of the season and then a serious knee problem during autumn, Ødegaard was ruled out with an injury last month before making his comeback in last weekend's north London clash. The talented captain entered as a substitute to assist Arsenal's closing goal in a 4–1 victory, marking the club's biggest ever Premier League win at Tottenham's stadium.
Arsenal's team had been granted a full week without matches to prepare for Sunday's performance, yet still managed to arrive without Ødegaard available.
"Regrettably, Martin isn't feeling completely comfortable with a knee problem," Arteta informed Sky Sports before the match began. "We chose not to take any chances with him."
Arsenal Confirmed Starting XI vs. Chelsea
Arsenal Confirmed Starting XI vs. Chelsea
Starting XI: David Raya; Jurriën Timber, William Saliba, Gabriel, Piero Hincapié; Declan Rice, Martín Zubimendi; Bukayo Saka, Eberech Eze, Leandro Trossard; Viktor Gyökeres.
Substitutes: Kepa Arrizabalaga (GK), Cristhian Mosquera, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Christian Nørgaard, Gabriel Jesus, Riccardo Calafiori, Gabriel Martinelli, Noni Madueke, Kai Havertz.
Ødegaard Absence Balanced by Key Returnee
Ødegaard Absence Balanced by Key Returnee
Once again this season, Arsenal has experienced a situation of one player departing while another returns from their medical facility. Ødegaard's unavailability was offset on Sunday by Kai Havertz's comeback.
The German attacking midfielder has experienced an even more troublesome injury history than his colleague this season, suffering a knee injury in the season opener that would postpone his next league appearance for four months. Havertz featured in five games as January transitioned into February, netting twice and providing two assists while showing promise as a potential answer to Arsenal's sluggish attacking play.
Then another setback occurred.
Havertz had been absent from Arsenal's previous four fixtures—including those costly point drops against Brentford and Wolverhampton Wanderers—due to a muscle injury. The German has recovered just in time to face his previous club, who were reminded of his capabilities during the Carabao Cup semifinal second leg at the Emirates last month that concluded with a counter-attacking Havertz strike.
"Kai has been training and performing excellently in practice," Arteta stated before the game. "He's healthy and ready for selection."