Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard will not feature in their Champions League opener with Athletic Bilbao on Tuesday after suffering a recurrence of a shoulder injury.
Odegaard was forced off during the first half of Arsenal’s 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest on Saturday following a collision with Morgan Gibbs-White.
The Norway midfielder had been troubled by a shoulder injury before the recent international break, and manager Mikel Arteta confirmed that Odegaard had not travelled with the squad to Bilbao for the Gunners’ first game of the league phase having sustained another blow to the same area.
Bukayo Saka remains out with a hamstring issue, while Kai Havertz (knee) and Gabriel Jesus (ACL) are both still unavailable.
On Saka, Arteta told a pre-match press conference: “I think he’s still quite a lot of things to go through, very difficult to understand what week he is going to be available.”
Arsenal reached the semi-finals of the Champions League last season, beating Real Madrid in the quarter-finals before losing to eventual winners Paris Saint-Germain.
Asked about the Gunners’ prospects in this season’s competition, Arteta said: “We know it’s going to be a really long journey. You have to give yourself the best chance to win the game.
“We are good enough that we can compete with any opposition on the day. You have to have two things go your way. You have to have a full squad available and have to put the ball in the net when the chances come your way.”
Despite their early injury problems, goalkeeper David Raya revealed the Gunners are openly talking about targeting glory in both the Premier League and Champions League.
Arsenal have taken three wins from four to start the Premier League, their only loss a 1-0 defeat to reigning Premier League champions Liverpool at Anfield.
Even with that setback, the Gunners are still dreaming of the double.
“We are [talking about winning both],” said Raya.
“We have belief, we want to win, we are Arsenal and we play to win, that’s not a doubt. That’s what we play football for. It’s a long journey in the Champions League and the Premier League.”
