"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 official programme notes. The captain provided a glimmer of hope for the Emirates faithful, adding: "I caught it a little bit against Sporting, but hopefully it shouldn’t be too bad."
The timing could not be worse for Mikel Arteta, with the club facing a quarter-final second leg and a potential title-decider in the same week. "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," the midfielder continued, highlighting his personal frustration at the stop-start nature of his campaign.