Arteta hopeful Ødegaard, Havertz, Madueke return for North London derby

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has revealed that Martin Ødegaard, Kai Havertz, and Noni Madueke could all make their return in time for the north London derby against Tottenham on November 23.

The trio have each been sidelined with knee injuries, Ødegaard since October 4, Madueke since September 21, and Havertz since the opening weekend of the season.

Before the international break, the Gunners face a demanding run of three away fixtures in a week, starting with a Premier League trip to Burnley on Saturday.

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However, Gabriel Martinelli will miss the match due to a knock, while William Saliba is being assessed for a minor issue.

Gabriel Jesus is also continuing his recovery from knee surgery, and Arteta provided a cautiously optimistic update on the team’s injury situation.

“I would say weeks, and some of them pretty soon, hopefully, if they keep evolving the way they are doing,” Arteta said on Friday. “After the international break, I think we’ll have some back, I don’t know if it’s going to be all of them, but we’ll be quite close by then.”

Pressed on whether Ødegaard, Havertz, and Madueke could feature against Spurs, Arteta added.

“Yeah, I’m excited because they are tremendous players. I see them work every day, desperate to be part of the team. It’ll be a huge boost for the squad to have them back after such a long time.”

Arsenal will hope the trio’s return bolsters their title charge as the season intensifies.