Mikel Arteta hopes that Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard will be able to face Bayern, but he cannot confirm whether they will definitely play or not.

Arsenal fans will be eagerly anticipating seeing this duo in action in the Champions League quarter-final second leg against Bayern, but if they are absent, it will be a huge blow to the London club.

Saka was seen limping at the end of the 0-2 home defeat to Aston Villa, while Odegaard couldn’t complete the match and was substituted. Speaking after that defeat, which dealt a heavy blow to Arsenal’s Premier League title hopes, Arteta said: “Odegaard had an issue with his ankle. That’s why he had to come off.”

Arsenal held Bayern to a 2-2 draw in the first leg at home, but now they face a slight disadvantage heading into the return leg in Germany. Speaking ahead of the trip to the Allianz Arena, coach Mikel Arteta provided an update on the injuries of both Saka and Odegaard, saying:

“We have less than 48 hours to recover from the match against Aston Villa. We have very little time to recover, so we will assess them tomorrow and see how they are. If Saka and Odegaard are okay, they will play, but if their issues aren’t resolved, we can’t risk it.”

Arteta insisted that the 0-2 defeat to Aston Villa would not affect the team ahead of the clash with Bayern at the Allianz Arena.