Arsenal midfielder Martin Odegaard feels his side must be at its best to overcome Liverpool

Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard, has called on his teammates to give it their all in order to defeat Liverpool in Sunday’s pivotal Premier League match.

Odegaard, who has been sidelined with a hamstring injury since Norway’s Nations League match against Austria, shared his thoughts in the matchday programme ahead of the game. “These are the games we love to play,” Odegaard wrote. “I’m sure all of you are going to be really fired up, and we’re expecting a top atmosphere inside the stadium.”

Reflecting on the team’s recent performances, Odegaard acknowledged the mixed results, including a disappointing loss to Bournemouth and a resilient win against Shakhtar Donetsk. “Everyone is excited and ready to go. We want to give our best performance, and we know that will be needed against Liverpool,” he added.

Odegaard’s message underscores the significance of the match as Arsenal looks to prevent Liverpool from widening the points gap at the top of the table. “We have to stick together, work hard, and believe in ourselves. That’s the only way we can overcome these challenges and achieve our goals,” Odegaard concluded.

Odegaard also provided an update on his ankle recovery, which has kept him out of play since September. The midfielder claims he is “near” to making his comeback and hopes his time away will allow him to return “fresher, stronger, and ready for the rest of the season.”

He explained: “I have been away for a few weeks and have been working hard to return as soon as possible. As I said in my notes on Tuesday, I feel like it’s close now, but although I haven’t been involved in the games lately, I feel I’ve still been able to use that time pretty well too.

“To be honest my days haven’t been much different to before. I am still at the training ground every day, and they are long days as well. I’m usually pretty tired afterwards because I’ve been doing a lot of work with the great medical and fitness team we have, and I’ve spent a lot of time in the gym as well.

“I’ve wanted to stay involved with what’s happening too, so I’ve been going to the preparation meetings and have been closely involved. But obviously matchdays have been different, there’s been less travelling so I’ve been able to spend more time at home, getting important rest periods, which has been good.

“Hopefully I can come out of this period fresher and stronger and ready for the rest of the season. That’s the aim now, look at the positives and use this time in a good way. When I’m back I’m going to be feeling pretty good, I’m sure.”