It’s been a brutal international break, injury wise, in the Premier League. Just ask Liverpool supporters about that. Now the injury bug has bitten Arsenal, via defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos.
According to Gazzetta.gr, the summer transfer window acquisition suffered an ankle injury during Greece’s 2-0 defeat to Finland in the UEFA Nations League last night. The 30-year-old was subbed off at halftime, and he’s now a doubt for the Gunners return to league play on Monday night.
Sokratis Papastathopoulos could very likely be sidelined when the Gunners host Leicester City on Oct 22, and that means manager Unai Emery could be left with just Rob Holding and Shkodran Mustafi as centre back options. The extent and severity of Sokratis’ injury is not known at this time, but a full assessment will be done in the coming days.
Arsenal will head into that match against the Foxes winners of six straight in Premier League play and nine consecutive across all competitions. Key injuries such as these, which often arise during international breaks, are the primary reason these periods on the football calendar are just so unpopular.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, is currently a regular contributor to SB Nation, WGN CLTV and Chicago Now.
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