Madueke, Odegaard, Havertz: Arsenal injury news and return dates ahead of Newcastle United showdown
Arsenal take on Newcastle United in a challenging away test which could have huge implications for this season’s title race
Last weekend Mikel Arteta became the first coach in history to go five consecutive matches without suffering defeat against Pep Guardiola, but it still wasn’t enough to stop his Arsenal team falling further behind Liverpool in this year’s title race.
Arteta, who has spent big on adding further quality this summer, was criticised by the likes of Gary Neville and Ian Wright for naming a slightly defensive-minded team for the game at the Emirates Stadium and it looked to have backfired when Erling Haaland raced away to give the away side the lead. However, as the game progressed Arsenal took command of the contest, keeping 66.8 percent possession and dominating the game in terms of chances created. They got their reward through a 93rd minute strike from Gabriel Martinelli, but it still allowed Liverpool to increase their lead to five points at the top at this early stage.
Arsenal earned a 2-0 win against Port Vale in mid-week, progressing to the round-of-16 in the Carabao Cup and are now targeting all three points against a Newcastle United team that have at times struggled with in recent seasons.
Arteta faces a number of key selection issues ahead of kick-off and is sweating over the fitness of a number of key stars, including Noni Madueke, who had made a sublime start to his career in north London, despite the early criticism that surrounded him following his move from rivals Chelsea.
How long will Noni Madueke be injured for?
Madueke is set to miss six to eight weeks of football with a knee injury. The England international sustained the blow during the 1-1 draw with Manchester City and left the field at half time.
"It looks like Noni is going to be out for a few weeks, but we don't really know yet, we will have to scan him next week again," said Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta on Tuesday, via BBC Sport. "He felt something at the beginning of the match and tried to carry on but it was too sore, so let's see."
Early indications suggest Madueke will return to action in either late November or early December, meaning he’ll miss the trip to St James’ Park, Bayern Munich in the Champions League and a series of other crunch matches in between both in the league and Europe. Expected return date: 23rd November - Arsenal vs Tottenham
Will Martin Odegaard be fit to play Newcastle United?
Club captain Martin Odegaard has missed the last three matches with a shoulder injury. He didn’t feature in mid-week against Port Vale but is thought to be pushing for a return against Newcastle United. He’s scored one goal and assisted the same amount in nine matches against the Magpies in his career so far. “No, no surgery. He's totally fine. He's already been training, and it will be a matter of days, I think,” said Arteta in the build-up to the Newcastle United clash. Expected return date: 28th November - Newcastle United vs Arsenal
Meanwhile, Kai Havertz, like Madueke, is targeting a return for late November. The German recently suffered a knee injury which occurred not long after his recovery from a hamstring problem at the end of last season. Expected return date: 23rd November - Arsenal vs Tottenham
Elsewhere, Gabriel Jesus, who hasn’t kicked a ball for Arsenal since 4th January, is expected to be ruled out for the remainder of 2025 as he continues to fight his way back from a serious ACL injury. An exact timeline on his return hasn’t yet been revealed, but it’s suspected that January 2026 could be his most early return date at this point. Central defender Piero Hincapie is also likely to miss the game at St. James’ Park. The Bayer Leverkusen loanee has a groin injury which still needs to be assessed.