Gyokeres, Odegaard, Havertz - Arsenal injury news and return dates before Sunderland clash

The latest Arsenal injury news as Mikel Arteta's squad prepare for a tough challenge against high-flying Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.

Mikel Arteta was missing a series of key players for Arsenal's Champions League clash with Slavia Prague on Tuesday due to injury.

The big news ahead of their mid-week fixture was the absence of Viktor Gyokeres. The Swedish striker was taken off at half-time against Burnley last weekend having suffered a muscular injury.

Without their main striker, Arsenal still managed to beat Slavia Prague 3-0 with Mikel Merino (x2) and Bukayo Saka on target. This result matched the club’s record for consecutive clean sheets in all competitions (eight).

With the Gunners set for a difficult away fixture against Sunderland this evening, football.london has taken a look at the current list of injured players in the Arsenal squad and when they could return to action.

Viktor Gyokeres

Gyokeres did not travel with the Arsenal squad for their mid-week Champions League match due to injury, something that hasn’t been an issue for the Swedish striker in the past. This is why Arteta is set to be extra careful when judging Gyokeres’ return.

When asked if all of Gyokeres, Kai Havertz, Noni Madueke, Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Martinelli’s would be unavailable for Sunderland, Arteta said on November 7: "I cannot confirm all of that, but you are not far."

On whether the injured group would be available post-International break: "Some of them, all of them I don't know. There are a lot of things that have to happen in the next two weeks, and everything has to be perfect, but I think we'll be very close with most of them to be in a really strong position."

Expected return: Late November

Martin Odegaard

The Arsenal captain had only recently recovered from a shoulder injury before being taken off against West Ham with a knee problem. This means Odegaard has only played 204 minutes in the league so far, and the Norwegian doesn’t look available for today’s match.

Expected return: Late November

Kai Havertz

Havertz has played even less Premier League football than Odegaard, with the German international featuring for just 30 minutes in Arsenal’s opener against Manchester United before suffering a knee injury which required minor surgery.

Arteta said on November 7: "Let’s see how he absorbs the load first when he starts to train with us, and when he’s done that, obviously we’re going to have to, especially in the first few weeks, keep an eye on him to manage the amount of minutes and when we play him."

Expected return: Early December

Noni Madueke

The English international has shown positive signs since joining Arsenal this summer for £48.5m. Unfortunately, a knee injury suffered in September has seen Madueke miss nearly two months of football.

Expected Return: Late November

Gabriel Martinelli

Martinelli has missed Arsenal’s last three matches after taking a knock in the Gunners’ clash with Crystal Palace, and the left-winger could miss the Sunderland game too.

Expected Return: Late November

Gabriel Jesus

The Arsenal striker is still recovering from a cruciate ligament injury he suffered in an FA Cup fixture against Manchester United in January this year. Jesus has returned to training but will still need time to recover.

Arteta said on November 7: "It's about making the steps day-by-day in a different surrounding. He's been doing everything on his own; now he's got very competitive players around him, and let's see how he copes with that. But he's full of energy."

Expected Return: Mid December