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Odegaard eyeing a win to reward our US supporters

Martin Odegaard in action against Bournemouth in LA

Saturday’s meeting with Manchester United may only be a friendly, but Martin Odegaard is adamant his team won’t be treating it that was as they look to reward the loyalty of our Stateside supporters.

Games against ourselves and the Red Devils have gone down in footballing folklore, and while there isn't a trophy or three crucial points on the line in Los Angeles, our skipper wants us to treat it as another clash against the Old Trafford side to better prepare ourselves for the challenges ahead.

And with tens of thousands of Gooners packing the stands of SoFi Stadium, Martin admitted there is a little bit extra desire to send them home happy.

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“Every time we play, we play to win and that’s the case tomorrow as well,” he said. “We’re here to prepare and also to win the games. It’s a big rivalry and it’s nice to play these types of games, I think they mean a lot to a lot of people, so we’ll prepare like a normal game to win, and that’s the focus.

“It’s great to be here and connect with the supporters we have. We know it’s tricky for them with the time difference to watch our games and they might have to stay up or get up early to watch our games, so to be here and play in such a nice stadium and give something back is nice for us. We’re all looking forward to that and hopefully we can give them a win as well.”


Martin played 45 minutes of the game against Bournemouth on Wednesday, and he says that he’s fit and raring to go after an interrupted summer break with no tournament football to play.

That has added to his hunger to be back in the thick of the action, and he feels warm-up games against the best opposition possible in sunnier climes are just what he and his teammates want to ensure they’re ready when Wolves come to Emirates Stadium on August 17 and the curtain rises on the Premier League campaign.

“The summer break is great for two things and that’s to rest and also to work,” he added. “For me, I didn’t have the Euros so I had some extra time and I spent the summer in a good way and found a good balance between rest and work and now we’re back here and playing games against good teams. 

“I think it’s a great way to prepare for the season and we have to be ready for when it starts, because every game can be decisive so it’s really important to be sharp from the first moment. These games are perfect to get fit and also to get the right mindset.

“We’re here and we have really nice weather, great facilities and everything is perfect so I think it’s the perfect place to be to prepare. I love it.”