Mikel Arteta remains hopeful that both Martin Odegaard and Jurrien Timber can recover in time for Sunday’s League Cup final against Manchester City, with a final decision to come after Arsenal’s last training session.
LONDON COLNEY, ENGLAND - MARCH 11: Martin Odegaard and Jurrien Timber of Arsenal battle for the ball during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 Round of 16 Second Leg training session at Sobha Realty Training Centre on March 11, 2025 in London Colney, England. (Photo by Paul Harding/Getty Images)
Photo by Paul Harding/Getty Images
Speaking to the media ahead of Arsenal’s cup final v City, Mikel Arteta was asked about the fitness of Martin Odegaard and Jurrien Timber and if there was any news about the pair. “No, not for us, we have another training session tomorrow,” he said.
“Hopefully they can be available. We have another session, let’s see.”
Odegaard has been out since the start of March, missing seven games, and has also been left out of Norway’s squad for the upcoming international break, a mixed signal for supporters wondering whether he will feature at Wembley.
Jurrien Timber of Arsenal receives medical treatment during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Everton at Emirates Stadium on March 14, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images
Timber has missed the last two matches with what is either an ankle problem or an adductor injury picked up against Everton, leaving Arsenal to monitor his progress closely before naming their side.
There has also been concern over Eberechi Eze, who scored the opening goal of Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday to send the Gunners into the quarter-finals of the Champions League before having to come off in the second half after hurting himself taking a shot.
Eberechi Eze of Arsenal celebrates scoring his team's first goal during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 Round of 16 Second Leg match between Arsenal FC and Bayer 04 Leverkusen at Arsenal Stadium on March 17, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)
Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images
There was understandable anxiety that the midfielder might be forced to miss the cup final this weekend, but he provided a positive update on his injury status after the game and did not seem to think the problem was anything serious.
Taken together, Arteta’s cautious optimism on Odegaard and Timber and Eze’s own reassurance offer Arsenal a realistic chance of going into Wembley with only Mikel Merino definitively ruled out at a moment when momentum and depth could prove decisive against City.
Before Arteta met with the press, Pep Guardiola had already confirmed that James Trafford would start in goal for City but when asked if Kepa would do the same for Arsenal, Arteta replied simply, “We have one more session, we will see.”
You can read more about City’s injury and availability problems ahead of the cup final here.
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