Arsenal are preparing for the second leg of their Champions League semi-final with Atletico Madrid and several key stars could miss the game
11:58, 04 May 2026Updated 12:16, 04 May 2026
Kai Havertz, Martin Odegaard and Jurrien Timber will all absent from Arsenal training.
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Kai Havertz, Martin Odegaard and Jurrien Timber will all absent from Arsenal training.(Image: PA Wire)
Martin Odegaard, Kai Havertz, Mikel Merino and Jurrien Timber were all absent from Arsenal's first-team training session this morning ahead of their Champions League clash with Atletico Madrid.
Mikel Arteta's side took part in an open training session ahead of the second leg of their semi-final clash with the La Liga side.
The four stars were among the notable absentees from the session, likely meaning they'll miss the game in north London tomorrow night.
The game is finely poised following a 1-1 draw in Madrid in the first leg, though the Gunners will feel aggrieved not to have come away with an advantage after a late penalty for a challenge on Eberechi Eze was overturned.
The Gunners head into the game on the back of an impressive 3-0 win over Fulham at the weekend, with Odegaard, Havertz, Merino and Timber all absent from the win over the Cottagers.
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There was some confusion last week ahead of the first leg, with Arteta suggesting that Merino was part of the squad that travelled over to Madrid, before correcting himself in his pre-match press conference.
It would have been a major boost having the Dutch international back in the matchday squad, but he missed training once again.
Jurrien Timber of Arsenal celebrates following his team's victory during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Sunderland at Emirates Stadium on February 07, 2026 in London, England
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Jurrien Timber has been sidelined since mid-March(Image: Photo by Alex Burstow/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Speaking ahead of the game against Fulham, Arteta said: "Let's see how everybody is tomorrow morning. Obviously, we haven't been able to train much, so tomorrow we will have a final update.
"Kai [Havertz] and Jurrien [Timber] will be out."
Arteta is set to speak with reporters later today where there'll be an injury update on the players who missed the weekend's game and training.
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Havertz limped off during the win over Newcastle United and Arteta had hoped he'd return for the second leg, but there was no sign of the German international at training.
The Gunners boss said last week: "Hopefully for Atletico, he will be available, and he's pushing every boundary to achieve that."
There was also some hope that Odegaard could return for the clash against Atleti, but he was absent from training. As for Merino, he's expected to be out for the rest of the season.