Arsenal Captain Pushing for Wembley Return Despite Injury Setback

Martin Odegaard is pushing hard to return from injury in time for Arsenal’s Carabao Cup final against Manchester City at Wembley on Sunday, despite being ruled out of Tuesday’s Champions League clash with Bayer Leverkusen.

The Gunners captain has been sidelined since suffering a knee injury against Brentford on February 12, managing just one appearance off the bench in the north London derby before discomfort forced him back to the treatment room.

Double Injury Concern

Arsenal face an anxious wait over two key players ahead of their Wembley showdown. Jurrien Timber joins Odegaard on the injury list after being forced off in the first half against Everton on Saturday, leaving Mikel Arteta sweating over his defensive options.

“We’re really pushing, he really wants to try to be available,” Arteta said of Odegaard’s potential return. “But we’ll have to wait and see in the next few days when he trains with the team, how he feels. We know the game that we’re going to be playing in a few days again, and the more players that we have the better.”

The Norwegian playmaker’s absence has been keenly felt by Arsenal, who have struggled to replicate their creative spark without their influential captain. His potential return would provide a massive boost for the north London side as they seek to end their trophy drought against Pep Guardiola’s City.

Timber Timeline Unclear

Timber’s situation remains equally uncertain after the Dutch defender went down early against the Toffees and attempted to continue before eventually succumbing to the problem. When asked about the former Ajax man’s availability for Wembley, Arteta admitted: “We don’t know. I think with him it will be a matter of days, but not sure.”

Should Timber fail to recover, Arteta faces a selection dilemma at right-back between Cristhian Mosquera and Ben White. The manager turned to summer signing Mosquera when Timber was withdrawn against Everton, but White remains a viable option despite his limited game time this season.

“He’s in a much better place, he’s been very unlucky this season in certain moments,” Arteta said of White. “He had very, very good moments as well throughout the season, so we need everybody available. We know what Ben gives us when he’s at his best, and he trained today. He feels good, so we need everybody’s contribution.”

Arsenal will first need to navigate their Champions League last-16 second leg against Leverkusen without both players before turning their full attention to Sunday’s final. The Gunners go into the Wembley clash seeking their first major trophy since the 2020 FA Cup triumph.