Heartbeats rose in north London at the news that Martin Ødegaard did not make the trip as part of the playing squad against Chelsea in the Premier League.
“Unfortunately Martin is still not feeling totally comfortable with that knee injury, and we decided not to risk him,” Arteta explained ahead of the win.
That knee injury refers to an issue that has kept him out of a number of games this season, including the draw against Wolves and the FA Cup win over Wigan.
Now, ahead of the game against Brighton & Hove Albion, Arteta confirmed that doubts remain over his fitness: “We have to wait and see how comfortable he is to do certain actions,” said the manager on Tuesday, keeping the heartbeats at a high.
Arteta “very happy” with progress
Fans have also been sweating over the fitness of two of their other stars, Declan Rice and David Raya. When asked if the midfielder could play, Arteta said: “I hope so. He was much better today. Hopefully he’s going to be better tomorrow.”
As for Raya, Arteta confirmed he was “very happy” with his progress after having “some niggles this week.”
“David is good. Good to go,” he confirmed.
However, Ben White is “not available” according to the Spaniard, who is suffering with a knock.
It appears that both Declan Rice and Martin Ødegaard will travel with the squad as they take on Brighton on England’s south coast, but a game day decision will be made on whether or not they will feature in the game as Arsenal look to maintain their lead in the Premier League title race.
Arsenal take on Brighton & Hove Albion on Wednesday 3 March at 2:30pm ET at the AMEX Stadium.
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