Mikel Arteta has announced that five players from Arsenal’s first team will not be participating in the UEFA Champions League match against Athletic Club in Bilbao tonight. The Gunners are heading to Spain for the initial game in this season’s competition, aiming to secure all three points.
Entering this match, Arteta’s squad is coming off a solid 3-0 win against Nottingham Forest in the Premier League over the weekend, while Athletic Club faced a setback with a 1-0 loss at home to Alaves.
The encounter will take place at the San Mames Stadium tonight, where both teams are grappling with injury issues affecting their line-ups.
According to Fabrizio Romano via his Facebook page, the five players unavailable for tonight’s Champions League encounter include Martin Odegaard (shoulder), Bukayo Saka (muscle), Ben White (unspecified), Kai Havertz (knee), and Gabriel Jesus (knee). The post includes the following details:
Mikel Arteta has confirmed that the following players are OUT vs Athletic Bilbao:
Martin Ødegaard
Ben White
Kai Havertz
Gabriel Jesus
Bukayo Saka
Odegaard’s absence is particularly significant for Arsenal, as the Norwegian midfielder had to exit early during the match against Forest and missed training on Monday. New recruit Christian Norgaard is poised to potentially make his competitive debut in Spain.
While much of Arteta’s starting XI is relatively settled, he may consider adjusting the lineup to maximize the chances of clinching back-to-back victories against Athletic Club.
Softfootball reports that Athletic Bilbao will also have players unavailable, with Nico Williams excluded from the squad due to an adductor injury sustained earlier this month.
Additionally, Benat Prados and Unai Egiluz will both be sidelined for Athletic Club due to knee injuries, requiring surgical intervention before they can return to play.
Arsenal had a commendable run in last season’s Champions League, reaching the semi-finals, where they created numerous opportunities against Paris Saint-Germain but failed to convert enough chances.
This time, Arteta aims for a deeper run in the tournament, and the club boasts a stronger attacking lineup compared to last season. Although Arsenal has never faced Athletic in a competitive match, they recently achieved a 3-0 victory in the Emirates Cup, where Gyokeres scored with a powerful header, making tonight’s match highly anticipated.
