Odegaard, Saka, Saliba - Arsenal injury news and return dates before Athletic Bilbao fixture

Arsenal will be gunning to go one better in the Champions League this season as they get their latest attempt underway. The North London side went all the way to the semi-finals last term, only to fall to defeat to eventual winners Paris Saint-Germain.

Mikel Arteta’s side are back in action on Tuesday evening as they travel to Athletic Bilbao. The game sees Arteta return to his homeland and he will no doubt be keen to make an impression.

Unfortunately for the Spanish coach, he might have to mastermind a win without a number of his key players after a host of injury blows.

Here's the latest Arsenal injury news ahead of their Champions League opener...

Bukayo Saka

England winger Saka has been recovering from a hamstring issue since the win against Leeds. He will not play against Bilbao and is expected to be sidelined until at least the end of the month.

Asked in his pre-match press conference whether there was an update, Arteta said: "No, I think he's still quite a lot of things to go through, very early to understand when, which week he's going to be available, but he will certainly be pushing to be available as quick as possible."

Potential return date: Sunday, 28 September (Newcastle, A)

Martin Odegaard

Despite appearing against Nottingham Forest over the weekend, Arteta has confirmed that captain Martin Odegaard will not play after picking up a shoulder injury. Asked if the midfielder was available, the Arsenal boss said: "No."

He then confirmed that Odegaard had not flown with the team to Spain and instead has stayed in North London.

Potential return date: Unknown.

Ben White

Much like Odegaard, White was fit enough to be called into duty against Forest having made the bench. But it appears that a trip to Spain is pushing the limit too much.

Arteta said: "Gabby, Kai, Ben and Martin are still out, unfortunately."

Potential return date: Unknown.

William Saliba

On the positive side of things, French defender William Saliba appears set to return. After picking up an injury against Liverpool before the international break, he is now back in team training.

Whether Arteta seems confident enough to bring him into the side vs Bilbao remains to be seen.

Potential return date: Tuesday, 16 September (Athletic Bilbao, A).

Kai Havertz

German forward Kai Havertz remains ruled out after undergoing surgery. He is not expected to be seen again until at least November.

Speaking before the Forest game, Arteta said: “He’s looking really good, he’s walking freely. He’s starting to load the knee and to do some bits.

“As I said before, I think we’re taking it from weeks to months. It was a very tough decision for him to go and have that procedure done. But I think it was necessary, and it was the right decision from the medical team to persuade him to do that.”

Potential return date: Saturday, 22 November (Tottenham, H).

Gabriel Jesus

Gabriel Jesus is continuing his comeback from a long-term knee issue and will be lucky to play before the end of the year.

Arteta said: “He had a major surgery - it was going to take him many, many months. After discussing with the medical staff and understanding the schedule, we thought that he could be available between December and January. Hopefully, we did it wrong, and he comes back earlier."

Potential return date: Unknown.

Christian Norgaard

Summer signing Norgaard was not included in the squad to face Forest at the weekend. However, the Dane could earn a spot in the squad vs Bilbao.

Potential return date: Tuesday, 16 September (Athletic Bilbao, A).

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