Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard missed out on the matchday squad to face Chelsea in the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg.
The winner takes a spot at Wembley in the final; it’s a task as simple as that for Arsenal and Chelsea.
Mikel Arteta carries a one-goal lead into the second leg at the Emirates, so unsurprisingly named a strong squad; however, there were two notable absences.
Bukayo Saka’s injury keeps him out of the matchday squad, and he is joined on the sidelines by Martin Odegaard.
Journalist Miguel Delaney shared an update on X live from the Emirates, explaining the reason behind the double omission.
Saka and Odegaard’s absence is understood to be ‘more about caution’ and neither of Arteta’s key players is thought to have ‘serious issues’.
Arteta then commented on the pair.
- On Saka: “He’s okay, we need to have more tests tomorrow to understand how he is. This game was too short, but let’s hope that it’s not too much [longer he’s out].”
- On Odegaard: “During the [Leeds United] game, he felt a little niggle. We tried yesterday, he wasn’t comfortable, so let’s see if he’s hopefully available for the weekend.”
What do you make of Mikel Arteta’s starting XI vs Chelsea?
Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka’s absence isn’t all bad news
Naturally, Arteta would prefer to have Saka and Odegaard in the squad, but fortunately, the Arsenal manager has sufficient options to stand in.
After Noni Madueke’s fantastic performance against Leeds, the winger will have another chance to impress.
Arsenal fans have wanted to see more of Eberechi Eze, and they have their wish, with the 27-year-old earning a well-earned start.
Odegaard and Saka have time to rest, while their replacements will be eager to shine, in what is a glowing show of Arsenal’s squad depth.
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