Arsenal
Arsenal sweating over Odegaard and Havertz fitness ahead of Atletico second leg
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is hopeful that Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz will be back in time for the club’s massive Champions League second-leg showdown with Atletico Madrid. Speaking to beIN SPORTS, Arteta was optimistic, saying, “I think so, both of them. We’re going to do everything we can to have them ready for the game.”
Odegaard, the Gunners’ captain and creative spark, picked up a knee problem during the first leg at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano Stadium last week and had to be taken off in the second half. He sat out Saturday’s 3-0 win over Fulham, where Arsenal got the job done but clearly lacked their usual rhythm in the final third. Havertz has also missed the last two games with a groin injury he picked up right after setting up Eberechi Eze’s winner against Newcastle back on April 25.
Both players are vital to how Arteta wants to play. Having them back could be the difference-maker as Arsenal try to reach their first Champions League final since 2006, with the second leg at the Emirates set to be a massive night for the club.
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Do Arsenal genuinely need both Odegaard and Havertz to beat Atletico, or has this squad already shown it can cope without them?
The honest answer is a bit complicated for Arsenal fans. While the 3-0 win against Fulham showed the squad has the depth to win games, the performance felt a little flat without Odegaard pulling the strings in midfield. Havertz, despite his occasional quiet spells, brings a level of pressing and energy that’s hard to find elsewhere in the squad.
Odegaard’s knack for keeping the ball moving and finding gaps in tight spaces is almost impossible to replace at this level. Against a defensively stubborn Atletico side coached by Diego Simeone, Arsenal are going to need that extra bit of craft and patience. So, while they might be able to scrape a win without them on a good day, having both available is huge for this fixture.
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Arsenal’s road to a historic Champions League final
Arsenal are in a decent spot heading into the second leg, with everything still to play for after a tight first game in Madrid. The stakes are massive for a club that hasn’t been to a Champions League final in eighteen years, and Arteta has built this entire project for moments exactly like this.