Arteta’s update on Odegaard and Havertz | Press conference | News
Mikel Arteta has provided an update on the fitness of our first team squad ahead of the second leg of our Champions League semi-final against Atletico Madrid.
Kai Havertz missed the first leg in Madrid, as well as Saturday’s 3-0 win over Fulham, while Martin Odegaard came off against Atletico last week and missed the weekend’s game.
But the boss confirmed that they’ll both be available for the deciding leg.
“Yes, they are available,” Mikel confirmed at Arsenal Stadium on Monday evening, “they are in the squad, both of them.
“We need options, we need the capacity to play different games tomorrow, whether it’s from the start or after. So it’s really, really good news for us to have them both back.”
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Kai and Martin return to the squad just a few days after Bukayo Saka, who started a Premier League game for the first time since March 14 when he scored and assisted against Fulham.
“That’s what we need when we arrive at this stage of the competition.” the boss said on Bukayo.
“The players not only (have) to be available, but to be in top condition and make the difference. Bukayo will certainly give us that.”
It’s not only in attack where Mikel will have options to choose from, with both Riccardo Calafiori and Piero Hincapie available, a luxury we haven’t had too often this season.
“(They are) very different. We rarely had both of them available at the same time for long periods so we’re more restricted in terms of the opponent and the connection that we’re going to generate throughout the game or with the teammates to choose from there.
“Now, they are both available and that’s a great option because they are so different.”
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Injuries have forced the boss into several changes this season, with players being challenged with playing different positions.
Myles Lewis-Skelly came into the midfield for Saturday’s win over Fulham and produced a fantastic performance.
On a potential selection headache, the boss said: “I know Myles, but the same with Myles, the same with Ricky, all the players, Mosca when he’s been involved, a lot of players.
“So that’s a good thing. We always talked about in this moment, we need players with a great emotional state because I think that determines the rest, and we are feeling very good for tomorrow.”
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