Arsenal were again without captain Martin Odegaard for their Premier League showdown against Chelsea.

The Gunners were in need of a response after watching Manchester City enjoy a narrow win over Leeds United on Saturday which saw the gap at the top fo the table reduced to just two points.

Mikel Arteta was able to select the same team that romped to a 4-1 victory over Tottenham in last week’s north London derby with Eberechi Eze starting in the No.10 role behind in-form striker Victor Gyokeres.

Club captain Odegaard came on as a late substitute in that game and registered an assist for Gyokeres.

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The 27-year-old will be unable to build on that moment and was unable to make the matchday squad as a result of the knee injury he picked up against Brentford a fortnight ago.

Kai Havertz was, however, back on the bench withMikel Arteta saying: ‘Well, Kai trained really well and he’s fit and available, and unfortunately

‘Martin is still not feeling totally comfortable with that knee injury, and we decided not to risk him.’

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