Arteta keeps cards close to chest as injury-hit Arsenal eye FA Cup semis

## Summary
Advertisement Sport Arteta keeps cards close to chest as injury-hit Arsenal eye FA Cup semis Soccer Football - UEFA Champions League - Round 16 - Second Leg - Arsenal v Bayer Leverkusen - Emirates Stadium, London, Britain - March 17, 2026 Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta applauds fans after the match Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Boyers 03 Apr 2026 10:14PM Bookmark Bookmark Share WhatsApp Telegram Facebook Twitter Email LinkedIn Set CNA as your preferred source on Google Add CNA as a trusted source to help Google better understand and surface our content in search results. Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST FAST April 3 : Arsenal will be without injured England attacker Noni Madueke when they face Southampton in Saturday's FA Cup quarter-final, but Martin Odegaard and Jurrien Timber may return from injury, manager Mikel Arteta said. Arteta did not disclose how many of them will be available for Saturday's game, as Arsenal look to shake off last month's League Cup final loss to Manchester City with a return to Wembley in the FA Cup semi-finals. "We're in a position right now where we need to make the strongest line-up we possibly can to win every competition," he said. " We are two or three games away from the FA Cup and we know how important that competition is for us." Source: Reuters Newsletter Recommended Read Subscribe to CNA's Recommended Read A single handpicked story that we think you shouldn't miss. Advertisement Expand to read the full story Get bite-sized news via a new cards interface.

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Arteta keeps cards close to chest as injury-hit Arsenal eye FA Cup semis
Soccer Football - UEFA Champions League - Round 16 - Second Leg - Arsenal v Bayer Leverkusen - Emirates Stadium, London, Britain - March 17, 2026 Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta applauds fans after the match Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Boyers
03 Apr 2026 10:14PM
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April 3 : Arsenal will be without injured England attacker Noni Madueke when they face Southampton in Saturday's FA Cup quarter-final, but Martin Odegaard and Jurrien Timber may return from injury, manager Mikel Arteta said.
Madueke was among the 11 Arsenal players who withdrew from international duty last month over injuries and fitness management, as the club eye their first Premier League title since 2004.
"When you have to communicate the state of every player, we are always honest and a medical decision had to be made. That was clear what the conclusion was," Arteta told reporters on Friday.
"It makes us so proud that we had that many players in the national team. Players are desperate to play for their nation. I know how important it is to them. We are fully supportive of that and when we can do it, we do it."
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Madueke picked up a knee injury during England's friendly with Uruguay, missing the game against Japan. But Arteta said his condition was not as bad as a knee injury that kept him out for six weeks.
Martin Zubimendi, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, Timber, Leandro Trossard, Eberechi Eze, Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice were unavailable for their countries.
Arteta did not disclose how many of them will be available for Saturday's game, as Arsenal look to shake off last month's League Cup final loss to Manchester City with a return to Wembley in the FA Cup semi-finals.
"We're in a position right now where we need to make the strongest line-up we possibly can to win every competition," he said. " We are two or three games away from the FA Cup and we know how important that competition is for us."
Source: Reuters
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## Expert Analysis

### Merits
- I know how important it is to them.
- Arteta did not disclose how many of them will be available for Saturday's game, as Arsenal look to shake off last month's League Cup final loss to Manchester City with a return to Wembley in the FA Cup semi-finals. "We're in a position right now where we need to make the strongest line-up we possibly can to win every competition," he said. " We are two or three games away from the FA Cup and we know how important that competition is for us." Source: Reuters Newsletter Recommended Read Subscribe to CNA's Recommended Read A single handpicked story that we think you shouldn't miss.

### Areas for Consideration
- We are fully supportive of that and when we can do it, we do it." CNA Games Guess Word Crack the word, one row at a time Buzzword Create words using the given letters Mini Sudoku Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser Mini Crossword Small grid, big challenge Word Search Spot as many words as you can Show More Show Less Madueke picked up a knee injury during England's friendly with Uruguay, missing the game against Japan.

### Implications
- Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST FAST April 3 : Arsenal will be without injured England attacker Noni Madueke when they face Southampton in Saturday's FA Cup quarter-final, but Martin Odegaard and Jurrien Timber may return from injury, manager Mikel Arteta said.
- Arteta did not disclose how many of them will be available for Saturday's game, as Arsenal look to shake off last month's League Cup final loss to Manchester City with a return to Wembley in the FA Cup semi-finals. "We're in a position right now where we need to make the strongest line-up we possibly can to win every competition," he said. " We are two or three games away from the FA Cup and we know how important that competition is for us." Source: Reuters Newsletter Recommended Read Subscribe to CNA's Recommended Read A single handpicked story that we think you shouldn't miss.

### Expert Commentary
This article covers fast, arteta, arsenal topics. Notable strengths include discussion of fast. Areas of concern are also raised. Readability: Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.0. Word count: 577.