Mikel Arteta has revealed that goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale will start against Brentford on Saturday, as David Raya is unable to play against his original club. Arsenal is hoping that both Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Jesus will be available.
Since the 2-2 draw at Chelsea on October 21, Odegaard has not started a Premier League match. The captain of Arsenal missed the final three games prior to the international break because of a hip issue and concussion.
Jesus, on the other hand, has not played since he injured his hamstring during the team’s victory in Seville last month. However, on Tuesday night, the striker made a full comeback by playing the entire game as Brazil lost 1-0 to Argentina.
With on-loan acquisition Raya firmly entrenched as Arteta’s No. 1, goalkeeper Ramsdale has not started a Premier League game since the 3-1 victory over Manchester United in September. However, the England international will get his chance prior to Saturday’s trip to west London.
Arteta responded, “Hopefully yes, we have another training session today so we will see,” in response to a question about Odegaard’s availability. He has been making good improvement, so perhaps he will be available.
Jesus, who is 26 years old, is also in the running to start, according to Arteta, who also stated that the player will be evaluated after returning from Brazil. “He’s accessible,” Arteta declared. “In a highly competitive match [against Argentina], he played ninety-six minutes.”
“We have another session; before I name the lineup, I need to assess each player’s condition as they had a lengthy flight.”
Ben White, an England international, is doubtful for an injury after being seen leaving Arsenal’s training session on Thursday. Arteta also said that White will be evaluated prior to the match on Saturday night.