Ødegaard, Calafiori & Rice: Arsenal injury news and expected return dates ahead of Inter Milan tie

An out-of-form Arsenal face a tough test in the Champions League when they travel visit Inter Milan on Wednesday night – and their chances of arresting their recent slide may hinge on the fitness of a squad which has seen too many players missing with injuries over recent weeks.

The good news is that although the Gunners lost to Newcastle United on Saturday, Gabriel Magalhães was fit to play and Ben White, who had been a doubt with a knock, came on for the final 20 minutes as well. Meanwhile, club captain Martin Ødegaard is back in training… but will he play against Inter, or against Chelsea in a crucial Premier League game on Sunday.

We’ve got all the latest injury updates and, where available, expected return dates below.

Martin Ødegaard

Arsenal’s captain and creative nexus has been missing since he damaged his ankle ligaments while on international duty with Norway back in September, but appears to be closing in on a much-anticipated return – he has been pictured in training and recently stated that he was “close” to a comeback in his programme notes.

That has led to speculation that he could be ready to face off against Inter Milan on Wednesday night, although it’s unlikely that he would start if he does feature in the match day squad. Mikel Arteta has yet to comment on the chances the Ødegaard plays, but his return seems set to come sooner rather than later.

Riccardo Calafiori

The summer signing, who could cost Arsenal as much as £38m, has had to get through a couple of knocks this season and is back on the treatment table as a result of an injury he sustained during the 1-0 Champions League win over Shakhtar Donetsk two weeks ago.

Having missed three matches already, it seems likely that he will miss at least a couple more. Arteta has only told reporters that he would be “out for a few weeks” rather than giving a specific date, but it looks likely that the Italian won’t be available for Arsenal again until after the November international break.

Declan Rice

A fresh injury scare for Arsenal – it was reported by The Evening Standard on Tuesday that £105m midfielder Rice has missed training, amid fears that an injury may be the cause of his absence. As yet, however, there has been no comment from the club on his condition or whether he was missing for other reasons.

Takehiro Tomiyasu

The Japanese full-back won’t play until after the international break after a knee injury sustained against Southampton – which itself came just six minutes into his comeback from an earlier injury lay-off. Those six minutes remain his only game time of the season, and he isn’t expected back until early December.

Kieran Tierney

The Scotland international suffered a serious hamstring injury at Euro 2024 and has been sidelined ever since – but Arteta has told reporters that he is now “close” to getting back into first-team training and is “looking really good”. He is expected to be back training with the team over the next two weeks with a view to getting back to full match fitness in December.

Raheem Sterling

Although not injured, it is worth noting that Chelsea loanee Sterling will not feature on Sunday as he is ineligible to face his parent club. He will hope to get another chance to prove his worth after a slow start to life at the Emirates in Milan in midweek.