Looking to carry the momentum from their 2-0 over Everton into the Champions League, Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal host Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday in the second leg of their Round of 16 tie.
In the first leg, the Gunners – thanks to a dubious penalty shout – were only able to walk away with a 1-1 scoreline under their belt.
On home turf, however, Arteta will expect his men to be firm favourites against the Bundesliga side.
Read More: Arsenal vs Bayer Leverkusen: TV channel, kick-off time & how to watch
Ahead of Leverkusen travelling to London with hopes of spoiling the party, Arsenal have been dealt with a poorly-timed double injury blow as two key players both missed their open training session.
Key duo absent from Arsenal training session ahead of Champions League clash
Much of Arsenal’s season has been plagued with injury and Arteta has done well to navigate the trials and tribulations of players queuing for the treatment table.
But he’ll seemingly be without club captain Martin Odegaard, who continues to be sidelined with a knee injury.
Odegaard – among the eight players who could reportedly be sold this summer – last played against Tottenham Hotspur in his side’s 4-1 win in January.
He briefly returned to action to face Arsenal’s local rivals but he has not fully recovered since, it seems, given that he was absent from training.
Jurrien Timber, too, was a notable absentee according to The Standard. The Dutchman has been near-indispensable since the start of the campaign and he’ll be a sore miss on the right-hand side of the back four.
Timber appeared to suffer an ankle injury in Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Everton on Saturday and needed to be substituted before the half-time interval.
Arteta will provide an update on Odegaard and Timber when he hosts his pre-match press conference on Monday afternoon.
The good news: Leandro Trossard back in training
Arteta, given that he knows winning silverware would cement his place in the Emirates dugout, won’t dwell on the negatives for too long.
That’s because Leandro Trossard has returned to the grass ahead of a vital encounter for the Gunners.
Trossard was involved in training at London Colney on Monday but that doesn’t guarantee that Arteta will speed up his official return.
The winger picked up a minor injury in Arsenal’s FA Cup win over Mansfield Town and he’s since not played a minute for his employers.
Elsewhere, the record-breaking Max Dowman is also back involved with the first-team after his moment against Everton on Saturday. Could the Englishman have another on the European stage?
