Arsenal Football Newsletter
Martin Odegaard has confirmed he is once again dealing with a knee injury as he pushes to return for Arsenal.
The midfielder missed six weeks of action due to a knee problem before he returned last week to start in the FA Cup defeat to Southampton.
Odegaard played an hour in that match and then started against Sporting in the Champions League, but went down off the ball in Lisbon.
He continued for about ten minutes before going off, and the Arsenal captain was then ruled out of Saturday's defeat to Bournemouth.
It is expected that Odegaard will not be involved on Wednesday night in the Champions League quarter-final second leg against Sporting, but the Arsenal captain said he is "desperate" to return quickly.
"I had to go off during the second half of that game in Portugal last week, feeling my knee, which is why I missed the game at the weekend," Odegaard wrote in his programme notes.
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"I caught it a little bit against Sporting, but hopefully it shouldn’t be too bad.
"I’m desperate to get back as soon as possible because this is the crucial period of the season, in the Premier League and Champions League."
Odegaard faces a race against time to get back to fitness before Sunday's pivotal trip to Manchester City.
Victory would restore Arsenal's nine-point advantage at the top of the Premier League, but defeat would give City the chance to move to the summit before the Gunners next play.
Odegaard suffered shoulder problems earlier in the season and knee injuries have now hampered his momentum again.
He has started only 13 Premier League matches and just three of Arsenal's 11 games in the Champions League.