Arsenal Facing Yet Another Injury Blow Ahead Of Anderlecht Clash

Arsenal have been hit with yet another injury worry after summer signing, David Ospina was ruled out due to injury.

The goalkeeper will miss Gunners’ clash against Anderlecht in the Group D Champions League meeting with the Belgian club.

Ospina was in line to make his first Champions League debut in place of suspended Wojciech Szczesny who was sent off in Arsenal’s 4-1 win against Turkish giants, Galatasary three weeks ago.

However, reports have it that the Colombian goalkeeper will not be travelling to Belgium with the club after failing to recover from a thigh injury he picked during training.

With Szczesny suspended and Ospina injured, Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger will now look to third choice goalkeeper, Emiliano Martinez to feature against Anderlecht and may likely promote an academy goalkeeper to deputize Martinez.

Mesut Ozil, Oliver Giroud, Mathieu Debuchy, Serge Gnarby, Yaya Sanogo, Laurent Koscielny and goalkeeper David Ospina might be missing the clash due to lack of fitness or injury.

Mikel Arteta and Aaron Ramsey are said to be available while Jack Wilshere has been declared fit, despite being forced off with a knee problem against Hull City at the weekend. Theo Walcott, who has been out for nine months after an enduring injury, has returned but remains a doubt for the clash after featuring for Arsenal U21 side of which he played 45 minutes.

Despite the troubling injuries, midfielder Mathieu Flamini believes the Gunners have no excuses for a decent start to the season.

“We’re having injuries but we don’t want to hide behind any excuses,” the midfielder said.

“We’re facing the truth, we didn’t win on Saturday [against Hull City] and we will try to find a solution for the next games,” Flamini said.

Wenger’s side face an uphill climb after further injury crisis have seen young defender Hector Ballerin break into the first team.

19-year old Ballerin is expected to partner as a right-back, while Chambers and Mertesacker are to feature as centre backs for Arsenal.

Belgian side Anderlecht are joint bottom of Group D with Turkish side Galatasary owning a point each from two games, while Arsenal has managed three points from two games and group leaders Borussia Dortmund claiming six points in two games.

Anderlecht face similar crisis as Arsenal having struggled for a fifth draw in eleven games this season, while the Gunners have also drawn five of their Opening Premier League game this season, the last being Saturday’s clash with Hull City.

The Gunners opened their Champions League campaign with a disappointing 2-0 defeat at the hands of group leaders Borssuia Dortmund and further went ahead to humiliate Turkish side Galatasary in a 4-1 fashion, with new summer signing Danny Welbeck bagging a hat-trick.