Odegaard and Timber could return for FA Cup semi-final after international break

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Martin Odegaard and Jurrien Timber are both in contention to feature in Arsenal’s FA Cup semi-final against Southampton on Saturday, manager Mikel Arteta has confirmed.

The Norwegian midfielder has been sidelined for six games with a knee problem originally sustained against Brentford in December, while Timber withdrew from international duty after missing the Carabao Cup final with an unspecified issue.

“Those are in contention to possibly be in the squad,” Arteta said on Friday.

Their potential returns come at a crucial time for the Gunners, who will be without Eberechi Eze and Piero Hincapie for the trip to St Mary’s. Eze picked up a calf problem against Bayer Leverkusen, with reports suggesting the midfielder will miss the whole of April.

“Ebs, I cannot put a finger [on how long he’s out] because I don’t know, because he’s a special character,” Arteta explained.

Noni Madueke, who was also injured on international duty, will miss Saturday’s match but could return for next weekend’s clash with Bournemouth. The manager provided reassurance about the severity of Madueke’s injury after initial concerns.

“It looked really, really bad, and Noni was really worried, especially after what happened in his other knee a few weeks ago, and he was out for six weeks. But no, he’s nowhere near that injury, so that was really good news.”

International break decisions defended

Arsenal faced criticism for having multiple players withdraw from international duty during the recent break, including William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, Martin Zubimendi, Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice and Leandro Trossard.

When asked about the reaction, Arteta defended the club’s approach while reiterating his support for players representing their countries when fit.

“I think when a player is fit and available to play, he has to play, and it makes us so proud that we have that many players in the national team,” he said.

The manager remained coy about team selection for the semi-final, hinting that some critics might need to reconsider their earlier assessments. “You will see. I continue the speculation; you can judge it afterwards,” he added.

Regarding the goalkeeping situation, Arteta kept his cards close to his chest despite Kepa’s costly mistake in the Carabao Cup final. “I think tomorrow the goalkeeper is going to be European, is under 32, right-footed and speaks at least two languages,” he joked.

With Arsenal potentially facing up to 15 games between now and the end of the season if they reach both the FA Cup and Champions League finals, managing player fitness will be crucial. The club sits just two or three games away from FA Cup glory, a competition Arteta has emphasized the importance of winning.