Mikel Arteta answers Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard injury question after Tottenham vs Arsenal

Mikel Arteta has been asked about Arsenal’s injury situation after a fresh concern arose during Sunday’s North London derby win over Tottenham. Arsenal were far from their best at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium but managed to grind out the 1-0 win thanks to Gabriel Magalhaes’ second-half header.

With Declan Rice absent through suspension and Martin Odegaard out through injury, Arsenal knew they were in for a tough afternoon, and while Gabriel and William Saliba had plenty to do, the centre-back pairing’s impressive efforts meant David Raya did not have all that much to do behind them.

Given the absentees, it was a huge away win for Arsenal as they look to keep pace with Manchester City, and attention now turns to a huge week. Arsenal face Atalanta away from home in the Champions League on Thursday night, and they then face a quick turnaround ahead of Sunday’s clash with title rivals Manchester City away from home.

There will be plenty of eyes on Odegaard ahead of Thursday and Sunday, with the midfielder picking up a nasty-looking ankle injury during international duty, but a lengthy absence is not likely. Meanwhile, Bukayo Saka picked up some sort of injury during the win over Tottenham, going down and requesting a substitution with just four minutes remaining.

Arsenal boss Arteta was asked about both situations by Sky Sports after the game. He replied: “Saka went down, he said he could not continue. [On Odegaard:] Not yet." The Gunners will hope both will be able to recover in the early part of this week, though, Sunday’s clash with City will clearly be the priority, especially given the Champions League group stage has been expanded, giving Arsenal and others more time to make up for any less than ideal results. On the plus side, Gabriel Jesus did recover from his groin injury in time for a late substitute appearance on Sunday.