Arsenal came out of yesterday’s 3-2 loss at home to Manchester United unscathed from injury, but still hurting. In dropping points, in the manner that they did, the Gunners suffered some bruised egos, to be sure. And it’s a result that obviously hurts their Premier League title chances, considerably, as both Manchester City and Aston Villa won their matches and thus, gained ground on them at the top of the table.
We can worry about that later, as now it’s time to talk about a different competition, but one where the North London side also resides in the penthouse, the UEFA Champions League.
UCL League Phase Finale
Matchday 8 of 8 Arsenal vs Kairat
Kickoff: Wed Jan 28, 8pm, Emirates Stadium, London, UK
UCL Standing, Form: Arsenal 1st, 21 pts Kairat 36th, 1 pt, DLLLL
Win Probability: Arsenal 94% Draw 4% Kairat 2%
Gunners Team News
As we implied in the open, there is nothing new on the injury front, although there were some reports that Kai Havertz had suffered a setback. Given the German’s absence in the loss to United, speculation was indeed mounting. Given the lack of significance of this upcoming match, Havertz will likely not be risked.
Piero Hincapie returned to the team from injury, and Riccardo Calafiori (unspecified muscular problem) is back in training. However, the Italian defender is most likely not going to feature here.
It’s literally a first versus worst matchup, as Arsenal top the table, and Kairat are dead last at slot #36. So pretty much all the UCL business is wrapped up here, ahead of kickoff. Declan Rice and Mikel Merino will have to miss out here, however, due to yellow card accumlation, and thus, suspension.
This is the perfect match for them to miss out, as they won’t really be needed anyway.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, RG.org and Ratings.org. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.