Mikel Arteta confirms Martin Ødegaard will be out “for a while”

Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta has confirmed that Martin Ødegaard’s injury is a significant one. The midfielder missed the Gunners’ North London Derby match against Tottenham last weekend. Arteta says that Ødegaard will be out “for a while.”
 
Ødegaard’s absence could not have come at a worse time with a match against reigning Premier League champions Manchester City at the  Etihad Stadium coming up this weekend. Arsenal are huge underdogs for that match, according to betting sites.

Ødegaard’s injury “significant”

While on international duty with Norway last week, Martin Ødegaard suffered an ankle injury against Austria in the nations league. The former Real Madrid star looked distraught as he hobbled off the pitch and later boarded the Norway team plane with crutches.
 
Norway’s team doctor said it was not a broken ankle, but it was clear that it was a serious injury. Scans this week have confirmed that it is indeed a significant one.
 
“The scans showed that he's got some damage especially on one of the ligaments in the ankle,” Mikel Arteta explained in a press conference this week.
 
“It's something quite significant so we're going to lose him for a while,” the Spaniard continued.
 
Norway head coach, Stale Solbakken, said he is “preparing for a life without Martin.”
 
“We have to take it week by week and day by day. Some types of damage go faster and some go slower,” he said.

“Big test” without Ødegaard

Besides the injury itself, Mikel Arteta also talked about how losing Ødegaard might hurt Arsenal’s mentality for their upcoming matches against Manchester City, Leicester City, and Paris Saint-Germain.
 
“He's our captain. He's been one of the biggest and best players in our team,” Arteta explained.
 
“Our identity is very linked to how he plays and behaves. It's a big test for the team to see how able we are to show a different face.”

Man City vs. Arsenal preview

Arsenal take on Manchester City at 4:30 PM in Manchester on Sunday (1:30 AM Monday, AEST).
 
Even with Ødegaard, beating Manchester City at the Etihad would have been a tough task for the Gunners. Without him, it’s hard to see Arsenal getting all three points.
 
Pep Guardiola and Man City have not lost at home in regular time since November 2022. They slipped against Arsenal last year and only could manage to get a draw in this fixture, but the Cityzens are at another level this year.
 
It’s not just us expecting a dominant City performance on Sunday. The soccer betting sites have Man City as big favourites here.
 
PlayUp gives City $1.80 chances of winning the match, while Arsenal’s odds are at $4.20. City are -1.5 goal favourites.

Conclusion 

Man City are also big favourites in the EPL title odds. Most futures markets have them at $1.90 odds or lower. Arsenal are in third at $3.00. That gap will grow even larger if they fail to get a result against City on Sunday.