Arsenal club captain Martin Odegaard has admitted that he is hopeful that Bukayo Saka will be fit to play on Sunday.
Arsenal are set to host reigning champions Manchester City in a Premier League clash at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday. However, Martin Odegaard is aware that the team may well be without Bukayo Saka for this titanic clash.
Mikel Arteta’s side tasted defeat for the first time this season when they were beaten 2-1 by French club Lens in a Champions League group stage match on Tuesday evening. Perhaps even more damaging than the loss itself though, is the fact that Saka had to leave the pitch in the first half with a potential hamstring injury.
The Gunners are currently waiting for the results of further scans and tests to determine the full extent of the damage sustained by the 22-year-old, and ascertain whether or not he is set for a spell on the sidelines.
Odegaard is also sweating on the outcome of these tests. The £30 million midfielder has said, “I think every team in the world would miss Bukayo, but we have to see what happens in the next few days. Hopefully, it’s not too bad and he’ll be ready for Sunday,” as quoted by The Mirror.
All eyes on Odegaard
Saka is certainly a brilliant player, and is an extremely important part of Arteta’s plans for this team. However, the north London club must still back themselves to beat Manchester City, even without the help of the talismanic winger.
In Odegaard, Gabriel Jesus, and Leandro Trossard, amongst others, they still have players with the capacity to hurt their elite opposition.
If Saka is ruled out for this match, then there will be even more pressure on Odegaard to lead by example with a strong performance. The 24-year-old will need to be at his best on Sunday. He has been in brilliant form so far this season, but will need to produce a far better performance than he turned in against Lens in midweek.
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