Arsenal dealt more bad injury news as nightmare confirmed and star set to miss Liverpool clash

Mikel Arteta is facing an injury nightmare ahead of Arsenal's game against Liverpool
-Credit: (Image: Emmanuele Ciancaglini/Ciancaphoto Studio/Getty Images)


Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard is set to miss next month's crucial game against Liverpool. The Norwegian, who picked up an ankle injury while playing for Norway during the recent international break, is expected to be sidelined for eight weeks and miss two huge matches in the title race.

Odegaard sat out of the 1-0 win against Tottenham on Sunday and the 0-0 draw at Atalanta in the Champions League, but was pictured alongside his teammate in Arsenal's annual team photo earlier this week. Despite this, Odegaard is not set to return to action for a considerable period of time.

In total, the 25-year-old could miss a staggering 13 matches for the Gunners. Boss Mikel Arteta has let slip that his knock is be more serious than the club and Norway initially thought. With Arsenal weighing his advice from top medical professionals, there is optimism that Odegaard can return in eight weeks, as per the Daily Star.

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Arsenal's home game against Nottingham Forest on November 23 is marked as his comeback date. It means Odegaard is set to miss the trip to Manchester City on Sunday and the clash with Liverpool on October 27 - both pivotal matches in the Gunners' pursuit of winning their first title in 21 years.

Odegaard set up Gabriel's opener in the 1-1 draw at Anfield last season and played an influential role in Arsenal beating Liverpool 3-1 at the Emirates in February. His loss will be a massive miss for the Gunners but may increase Liverpool's chances of securing a vital win in north London next month.

The Reds host Bournemouth in their next Premier League fixture on Saturday looking to return to winning ways after last weekend's defeat at Nottingham Forest. That was Arne Slot's first defeat as Liverpool boss since replacing Jurgen Klopp and he is determined to get his side back on track.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Slot said: "There were more things that we weren't happy [with] than in all the other games I just mentioned that we've played until now. Actually I prefer to play against a low block because you have the ball a lot and the other team is far away from your goal.

"Normally with all the quality we have, if you have the ball so many times, I think we had 70 per cent ball possession in and around their 18-yard box, then you would expect us to create a lot with the quality we have. I think we haven't faced that a lot until now so it was a good moment to reflect and to see what can we do better.

"Although it sounds simple, but if every player plays five per cent better than against Nottingham Forest, which is not that difficult to be honest, then that will make a massive change already apart from us doing certain things better and certain positioning or certain runs [that] we have to improve."