Nigelly paced updates from Norway suggest Martin Ødegaard is not yet ready to rejoin Arsenal’s matchday squad. Norway manager Ståle Solbakken said the midfielder remains some way from full fitness and will continue a phased rehabilitation with the national team.

Solbakken offered a measured assessment at the start of the November international window. “[Ødegaard’s recovery] is steady,” he explained. “It is going in a steady direction but he is some distance away.”

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has been cautious about a timetable and, before the break, suggested the playmaker was “not far off ” alongside other sidelined players Kai Havertz, Noni Madueke and Gabriel Martinelli. That optimism has been tempered by Solbakken’s remarks.

Similar to Manchester United centre back Lisandro Martínez , Arsenal have permitted Ødegaard to split his recovery over the coming weeks between his club and Norway. Solbakken outlined the planned schedule: “He will fly in [to Oslo] after his rehab on Thursday,” he confirmed. “Then he will continue his rehab with us and will be with us from Thursday afternoon.

“I don’t know when the flight leaves. But he will be with us until Milan [on Nov. 16].”

Arsenal had hoped to welcome Ødegaard back in time for the north London derby, but doubts over his availability emerged when it was reported he would be out until “at least” after the November break. Ødegaard himself acknowledged the uncertainty, calling it “tricky” to pin down a return date and saying much will depend on when he is able to resume training fully.

The club and country will continue to co-ordinate his programme over the international period, with Solbakken’s update underlining a cautious approach to the midfielder’s comeback.

Arsenal’s Premier League fixture against Everton has been moved to Dec. 20 to allow the club to play a Carabao Cup quarter-final against Crystal Palace three days later. The Premier League and broadcasters needed to find a slot that permitted live coverage in the U.K., which limited available options.

Crystal Palace’s European commitments added complexity. Oliver Glasner’s side face KuPS on Dec. 18, the penultimate game in a sequence that will see them play 10 matches between Nov. 22 and Dec. 23. That congested run left little room to shift the cup match without creating knock-on problems across the calendar.

Christmas Eve was considered for the Carabao Cup quarter-final but was rejected to avoid disruption for travelling supporters so close to the holiday, Arsenal noted in a club statement. As a consequence of the rearrangement, Arsenal will now face Everton on Dec. 20 at 8 p.m (GMT). Palace’s game against Leeds was also moved to the same kick-off time, creating a compact schedule for all involved.

Arsenal addressed the potential impact on fans directly in their announcement. “The welfare of our players, supporters, and staff is our priority, and we fully understand this change of date may result in challenges for supporters travelling to Liverpool for the game,” the club said. “Therefore, we are organising additional supporters’ coaches for this match. All coach travel will be subsidised for supporters, priced at £10 for the return journey to Everton.”

For Palace, the schedule still requires two matches in three days between Dec. 18 and Dec. 20, but the club has limited alternatives because the team is already playing twice a week through to mid-January. The rearrangement reflects an attempt to balance broadcast commitments, cup scheduling and supporter welfare within a crowded fixture list.

Pep Guardiola delivered a clear message to Premier League rivals after Sunday’s victory over Liverpool, insisting Manchester City have regained the form that underpinned their run of four straight titles between 2021 and 2024. City have lost just once in their last 14 games across all competitions, a sequence that Guardiola says demonstrates a return of energy within the squad.

“I have the feeling the energy [is] back,” Guardiola confessed as he celebrated his 1,000th game in management. “We are more unpredictable in the way we attack and defend and that is good that the opponents don’t know what we are going to do.

“Last season it didn’t happen, we didn’t handle it well because apparently we didn’t have another target to fight. Nobody had done four titles in a row and we did it and we thought, ‘What’s next?’

“I think the four Premier Leagues in a row affected us in a really bad way. It can be understandable a little bit. We tried to push each other but we were not able to do it.

“Since the Club World Cup, I felt something different in general. It’s nice to still have the feeling that we are back in terms of many things.”

Arsenal remain in a comfortable position atop the standings, but pundit Gary Neville suggested City can maintain pressure for the rest of the season and warned the champions are beginning to look unpredictably dangerous.

“You would come into [City] games knowing the outcome, but now when you watch City you’re not quite sure what’s going to happen,” he told The Gary Neville Podcast. “They are imperfect. They are a lot more physical… they’re very different in terms of not being as methodical, not as good at playing out from the back, but they are still a very good side.

“If City can keep some momentum going, they’re going to be really, really dangerous towards the end of the season because of their experience.

“Pep Guardiola will be thinking, ‘Come on, let me hang on Mikel Arteta’s shoulder until March, let me be close enough to him to apply that pressure.’ He’s the one you wouldn’t want near you.

“It’s going to be really interesting what happens with City. I would say that they’ve still got to convince me that they’re going to win a title—Arsenal are the better team—but they’re the one team and the one manager I wouldn’t want on your shoulder going down the back straight.”

Neville also refused to rule Liverpool out of a late challenge. “If it clicked, something could happen,” he said. “If they can pull it together with the manager who had a great first season and get something going with the younger players, maybe they can still do something.

“But today was a worry because it was a really, really poor performance. They need to have a good look at themselves and they’ll know they’re nowhere near it at this moment in time.”