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Pundit Emmanuel Petit has warned Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti to be wary of Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard in their UEFA Champions League meeting next week. The reigning champions will face the Gunners in the quarterfinals with a view to making the last four once again this year.
Arsenal were without Odegaard for a while due to injury earlier this season. However, the Norway international has returned to action for the Gunners and appears to be close to his best. A former Real Madrid player, the 26-year-old may feel like he has a point to prove against his former employers in the tie.
Former Arsenal man Petit is of this opinion, and has sent a warning to Real Madrid manager Ancelotti to keep an eye on Odegaard in the game. He told PokerFirma that the Norwegian star will be looking to show Ancelotti what he missed out on by not giving him a chance. He said (via GOAL):
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"Martin Odegaard does have too much creative responsibility in the team. At the moment, he is the only guy who can be creative from midfield, he’s alone in that. That has to change.
"One of the reasons why Martin’s game hasn’t been as good as we know it can be is because he’s looking for movement in front of him, and it’s just not coming. He has a telepathic relationship with Saka, and he’s missed him. He needs players around him that can play combination football, one touch, pass and move, and Arsenal haven’t had those players fit for a long time.
"In his last game for Norway, he got a hattrick of assists. He looks like he’s starting to get the juice back, and it’s coming at the right time. He will have been disappointed with how his Real Madrid career came to an end – he will have something to prove to Carlo Ancelotti, the manager that signed him and then sold him. He’s the captain of Arsenal – he’ll want to lead by example, and over the last few weeks he’s been looking a bit more like himself.
"I hear that Saka could be ready for Madrid, which is massive for Arsenal, but also massive for Martin Odegaard two. Those two players bring out the best in each other."
Odegaard joined Los Blancos from Stromsgodset at the age of just 16 in January 2015. He bounced around the first team under Carlo Ancelotti and the U-19 side managed by Zinedine Zidane. He spent time on loan at Heerenveen, Vitesse Arnhem, Real Sociedad, and Arsenal before joining the Gunners permanently in 2021.
Martin Odegaard is the Gunners' captain and one of their most important players. He will be keen on having a big say against his former side.
Arsenal set to be without key star for Real Madrid tie
Arsenal will be without key defender Gabriel Magalhaes for their UEFA Champions League quarter-finals first-leg meeting with Real Madrid on April 8. The Brazil international has suffered a hamstring injury that will keep him out for the remainder of the 2024-25 season.
Gabriel was taken off in the first half of his side's league meeting against Fulham on April 1 with a hamstring issue, and Jakub Kiwior was sent on in his place. The club has now confirmed that the 27-year-old suffered a hamstring tear. It will require him to go under the knife, ruling him out for the rest of the campaign.
Gabriel has been a mainstay for the Gunners, with 42 appearances across competitions this season. He joins the trio of Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus, and Takehiro Tomiyasu in suffering season-ending injuries for the Gunners this term.
