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Swiss Super League club Lugano have announced that newly-invited Nigeria goalkeeper Sebastian Osigwe has tested positive for coronavirus.

Osigwe was handed his maiden Super Eagles call-up on Thursday, ahead of their Africa Cup of Nations qualifier double-header against Sierra Leone in November, and his health status was confirmed shortly after.

The Luzern-born goalkeeper and Mattia Bottani contracted the virus in Maurizio Jacobacci's team while six other players have been quarantined.

With eight players out of their next Super League fixture against Young Boys on November 1, Lugano reached out to the league authorities and their request for postponement of the encounter to a later date has been approved.

Meanwhile, it remains to be seen if Osigwe will be passed fit and available for the Super Eagles' upcoming matches against Sierra Leone at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium on November 13, while the second-leg will take place in Freetown four days later.

He joins Maduka Okoye and returning Daniel Akpeyi as the three goalkeepers in Gernot Rohr's latest selection but Katsina United's Ikechukwu Ezenwa is on the standby list.

Osigwe joined Lugano this summer after leaving Swiss second-tier club Kriens. He has played in four league matches so far with three ending in draws and one win.

FC Minaj have announced the signing of former Orlando Pirates defender Tercious Malepe.

The South Africa under-23 international has been a free agent after being released by the Buccaneers at the end of the 2019/20 season.

Minaj, who are campaigning in the Ukrainian Premier League, have snapped up Malepe according to a statement which was released on the club's official website on Friday. 

"Tercious Repo Malepe became the new player of Mina," a club statement read. 

"This is a football player from South Africa. He signed a contract with our club and has already started training with the team.

"Repo Malepe is a 23-year-old footballer who belonged to the Orlando Pirates, the current bronze medalist of the South African Championship.

"We are waiting for his debut in the UPL and wish him success in our club! Good luck, Malepe."

Malepe, who can also play in midfield, spent the last two seasons with Chippa United on loan from Pirates and he was one of the regulars at the Eastern Cape-based side. 

The tough-tackling player played 45 matches in the Premier Soccer League (PSL) and netted once during his time with the Chilli Boys.

Prior to his move to Chippa, Malepe was on the books of the now-defunct Ajax Cape Town where he was also on loan from Pirates during the 2017/18 season.

The former South Africa under-20 captain made 18 appearances in the PSL and scored once, but he could not help the team avoid relegation to the National First Division (NFD).

Malepe, who was nurtured in the Pirates academy, was loaned out to Moroka Swallows during the 2015/16 campaign which saw him play 22 matches in the league. 

The promising player was part of the South Africa squad at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Malepe was included in the Bafana Bafana squads which took part in the 2017 and 2019 Cosafa Cup tournaments.

Furthermore, Malepe captained South Africa at the Caf Under-20 Africa Cup of the Nations finals and Fifa Under-20 World Cup finals in 2017.

He led his country at last year's Caf Under-23 Afcon finals where South Africa finished third and qualified for the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo Japan.
 

Rising Barcelona star Ansu Fati has been told to improve his concentration by head coach Ronald Koeman.

The attacker has been hailed as a potential heir to six-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi and will turn 18 on Saturday. The Spain international has hit the ground running in the professional game, scoring five goals and creating three more in just seven appearances this season.

Koeman, though, says the teenager is far from the finished product and has told him to tidy up some aspects of his play.

“Yesterday we were talking about the issue of concentration for a while. In that sense he has to improve because sometimes his turnovers are due to concentration and not quality,” the coach said when asked in a press conference how the young star can improve his already impressive game.

“In that sense, he has to improve and he has our help every day. He is a great talent and we have to help him improve things in his progress. You have to be prepared every day to improve.”

Ansu will hope to be involved in Saturday’s encounter in Alaves as Barcelona attempt to improve a slow start to the Primera Division season, which sees them lie 12th in the standings, albeit with a couple of matches in hand against many of their rivals.

Barcelona have confirmed that they will be without regular goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegan and defender Samuel Umiti for the clash, with the pair having only completed a couple of sessions with the squad after overcoming injury problems.

Koeman said: “Marc is fine, but he needs a couple more training sessions.

“Today Samuel has completed part of the training with the group, but he still needs some more to be able to return.”

Meanwhile, he explained his reasoning behind leaving Riqui Puig behind, despite the fact he could name up to 23 players.

“It is a technical decision, normally we have taken 23 players, but for me it is too much, the best are 20 or 21 players,” the former Netherlands defender said.

“He will stay in Barcelona and have some intense training in case I need him another day.”

Barcelona are coming off a 2-0 win over Juventus in the Champions League.

Turkey-based midfielder Afriyie Acquah has not given up hopes of making a return to Ghana's national team under coach CK Akonnor.

The Yeni Malatyaspor man has not been called up since representing the Black Stars at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt, where the team disappointingly failed to make the quarter-final, their first time of being unable to reach the last eight since the 2006 tournament, coincidentally also held in Egypt.

In January, Akonnor replaced James Kwasi Appiah, who guided Ghana at the last Afcon. The new man is expected to soon unveil his squad for November's Afcon 2022 qualifying double-header against Sudan.

"I always say the national team is not for one person, there are many Ghanaian players but this is not like club football, so a coach needs a group of people who will play together for a long time so they get to each other," Acquah, formerly on the books of Serie A side Empoli, said on Max FM.

"I have no issues not been called but anytime I am called I will give my all like I do always.

"Since we returned from 2019 Afcon and changed coaches, the new coach has not called me on phone yet to discuss my return but I am still working hard so that anytime I am called I will honour the invitation.

"Of course, everyone watches football, I am doing well, anyone who knows me knows what I can do, ever since the season started, I play week in week out."

So far this season, Acquah has featured in all six games played by Malatyaspor in the Turkish Super Lig.

The 28-year-old has over 30 appearances for Ghana since making his international debut in a friendly against Chile in 2012.

He was among the players who missed their penalty kicks as the Black Stars lost to Cote d'Ivoire in a shoot-out in the final of the 2015 Afcon tournament.

He has not only represented Ghana at continental level but also at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, where the Black Stars suffered a disappointing first-round elimination. 

East Bengal are set to make their debut in the Indian Super League (ISL) with the blockbuster Kolkata derby fixture against rivals ATK Mohun Bagan on November 27.

The Red and Golds’ new manager Robbie Fowler is excited to face their bitter rivals in their season opener and suggested that the team will do their best to get off to a flying start in the league.

“We know how tough any game would be,” said the East Bengal boss. “But for us to get the reigning champions and to get a massive derby out of the way is something for us to train for. It's a massive game for our players and we can't wait. We will be looking forward to it.”

East Bengal will have less than a month’s time to prepare for the upcoming season but Fowler is not willing to succumb to pressure ahead of their season opener.

“We are weeks behind in terms of preparation. But all we can do is get the team as ready as we can. We really will be ready. No pressure on our boys. We are new boys in the league. Let’s put all the pressure on ATK Mohun Bagan,” said the Liverpool great.

The domestic players of the Red and Golds had started training on October 26 under assistant coach Renedy Singh. On Friday, Robbie Fowler and foreign players took the field for the first time and started full-fledged pre-season training.

“It was a good day. We were in quarantine for 14 days. First time we saw the lads. They enjoyed the training session. We know it is difficult for us as we are behind. But we will work hard and try and get up to speed as soon as possible.”

New Tusker signing Wellington Ochieng’ has penned an emotional message to the Gor Mahia fraternity after leaving the giants.
 
On Friday, Goal exclusively reported that the right-back had signed for the Brewers on a two-year deal after Gor Mahia refused to renew his stay after four years at the club.

Tusker chairman David Aduda confirmed to Goal they had signed the player by stating: “Ochieng' is now our player, he signed with us yesterday [Thursday].

“He is an experienced player who will give us much-needed experience at the back. Ochieng' is also versatile and I believe he will be a valuable asset to the team.”

Ochieng’ has now taken to his social media pages to remember his four-year stay with the Kenyan champions and also thanked the fans for the support they accorded during his time at the club.

“Nothing but love and appreciation for the last four years,” Ochieng wrote on his social media pages. “Thanks to the amazing people who made this place feel like home.

“To the supporters of the magnificent Green Army for accepting me and making me feel like one of their own. To the staff, thanks for the hospitality without them I couldn't achieve as a player.

“To Marcelo Ferreira [Ze Maria], I will forever be grateful he gave me the privilege to represent this great club. To my teammates and former teammates, they are my brothers to share this journey with these boys has made me feel the luckiest fella in the game.”

Ochieng’ continued: “To my former skippers, Jerry Onyango and Musa Mohammed...My best friends and mentors’ no one deserve success more than these guys. To my own family, Mum and Dad my friends...my own “team”, they made the good times better and tough times bearable.

“I’m so grateful to have been part of this special team. And now on to the next adventure.”

The former Muhoroni Youth player was released alongside Edwin Lavatsa a couple of weeks ago.

The defender becomes the third player the Ruaraka-based side have signed in the transfer window.

Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo has been cleared to return to the team after testing negative for Covid-19.

The Serie A side confirmed the news on Friday in a statement on their official website. 

"Cristiano Ronaldo carried out a check with a diagnostic test (swab) for Covid-19," the statement read.

"The exam provided a negative result. The player has, therefore, recovered after 19 days and is no longer subjected to home isolation."

Ronaldo will now be eligible to return for Juve's Serie A clash against Spezia on Sunday after he missed out on the club's previous four matches.

More to follow...

Record Mainland Premier League champions Young Africans (Yanga SC) paid a courtesy call to the family of the former Tanzania President Julius Nyerere.

Yanga were on their way to Musoma where they will be hosted by Biashara United for the eighth game of the league season, and had to make a stop-over and visit the late President’s family in their rural home.

The visit also saw the club’s chairman and GSM’s Hersi Said gave Nyerere’s wife, Mama Maria, a club jersey.

“On our way to Musoma, our players got a rare chance to visit the home of the first President of the Republic of Tanzania, the late Julius Nyerere at Butiama,” the club announced on their Facebook page.

Biashara United are third and three points below Yanga and Saturday's match is expected to be an explosive one given the stakes it carries.

When they registered a 2-1 win over KMC FC in the previous encounter, coach Cedric Kaze partnered Waziri Junior – who had not enjoyed a start under Zlatko Krmpotic – with Michael Sarpong. He thereafter insisted every player will get his time.

“Every player is going to get a chance, play and show his worth for the team so that in the end, we can get collective and good results,” Kaze told Mwanaspoti.

As Yanga remain unbeaten, former star Zamoyoni Mogela has said Kaze is yet to find his regular starters but in due course, he would have fully understood his side.

“For now, I cannot really point out who is better than the other because I also know the coach is working hard and is yet to find a perfect striking partnership,” Mogela, who also played for Simba SC, said.

“After five matches, I am sure the coach would have known a winning squad but what is important is he should be granted the freedom to pick his starting teams without undue influence.

“The fans also need to understand the dynamics of football not to start pressurising everyone around the club when a loss is registered.”

After facing Francis Baraza’s Biashara United, Timu ya Wananchi will host their Kariakoo rivals Simba on November 7.

Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta believes he did all he could to give Mesut Ozil a fair shot before he axed the German from his squad. 

Ozil's name was not among Arsenal's 25-man Premier League squad that was released earlier this month, which followed the playmaker's exclusion from Arsenal's Europa League squad.

As the 32-year-old enters the final months of his contract with the Gunners, it now appears likely that he has played his final game for the team.

Ozil did play a part for Arsenal last season, at one point starting 10 consecutive Premier League games for the Gunners before the coronavirus lockdown in March.

The playmaker did not make a single appearance for Arsenal after lockdown, however, but Arteta has still insisted he gave Ozil every chance to impress before he was omitted from his team.

"What I can tell you that I tried my best, I tried to give him as many opportunities as I could," Arteta told Sky Sports.

"And that from my own side, I’ve been patient, given him opportunities and been fair.

"He’s a player that belongs to a football club, he’s been a really important player in the last few seasons. I have to respect that, I’m here to make decisions, the best decisions for the team and for the club.

"This is what I try to do and then I have to explain them because people need the reasons and the right answers. I just give mine, whether they believe me or agree with me or not, there’s nothing I can do.

"But I have to put my decisions, with my heart and with my brain to make the right decisions that I believe are good."

Ozil hit out at Arteta and the Gunners after he was left out of the team, saying "loyalty is hard to come by" in a post on social media.

"This is a difficult message to write to the Arsenal fans that I've played for over the past few years. I'm really deeply disappointed by the fact that I have not been registered for the Premier League season for the time being," Ozil said on Twitter and Instagram.

"Upon signing my new contract in 2018, I pledged my loyalty and allegiance to the club that I love, Arsenal, and it saddens me that this has not been reciprocated. As I have just found out, loyalty is hard to come by nowadays."

East Bengal kickstart their maiden Indian Super League (ISL) campaign on November 27 against arch-rivals ATK Mohun Bagan at the Tilak Maidan, Goa.

The Red and Golds face Mumbai City FC in the second match on December 1. In their final match of the first phase, they take on former I-League rivals Bengaluru FC.

Here are the first 10 fixtures of East Bengal in ISL 2020-21 season.

Virgil van Dijk has undergone successful surgery on the knee injury that could see him miss the remainder of the 2020-21 season.

Centre-back Van Dijk damaged ligaments in the early stages of the Merseyside derby on October 17 following a challenge from Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.

The Netherlands international had a planned operation on Friday to repair the damage, Liverpool announced.

“The Liverpool defender’s planned operation took place in London and was conducted successfully," a statement on Premier League champions’ website read.

"Van Dijk will now immediately focus on the beginning of his rehabilitation with the support of the Reds' medical department. No timeframe has been placed on the Dutchman’s return to action.”

The former Celtic and Southampton player was pivotal in helping Liverpool end their 30-year wait to be crowned domestic champions again, scoring five goals as he played in all 38 league games last season.

Van Dijk's absence has been further compounded by injuries to team-mates Joel Matip and Fabinho, the latter having been pushed back to play in defence due to a lack of alternative options available to Jurgen Klopp.

Brazilian Fabinho came off with a hamstring issue during the first half of the Champions League victory over Midtjylland on Tuesday.

Rhys Williams, 19, came on to partner Joe Gomez and could be set for a Premier League debut when Liverpool host West Ham on Saturday. He was the subject of praise from Klopp and team-mate Trent Alexander-Arnold after his display against the Danish side.

However, Klopp has also highlighted 23-year-old Nathaniel Phillips and Billy Koumetio, 17, as options to slot into the back line.

The Hammers, meanwhile, have suffered an injury setback of their own, however; Michail Antonio will miss the game at Anfield with a hamstring problem.

Antonio has scored 11 goals in his past 13 Premier League games and has managed 39 in the competition in total. Only three players - Paolo Di Canio (47), Mark Noble (46) and Carlton Cole (41) - have registered more for the club in the competition.

David Moyes’ side are 12th in the table after six matches, five points behind Liverpool, who are in second place.

Liverpool were close to signing Cristiano Ronaldo when he was still at Sporting CP, former Reds manager Gerard Houllier has confirmed.

Houllier’s assistant at Anfield, Phil Thompson, revealed in October that the club were close to agreeing terms with Ronaldo, but he left the remainder of the story open ended.

Houllier has now filled in the blanks, indicating the economic and political reasons were to blame for not getting the transfer over the line – as well as a sense of caution given that they had seen little of the burgeoning star.

“Phil is right in that we missed him but there are a lot of people who can say that too,” he said, speaking in Monaco.

“In 2002, the year I was sick, we decided to take Ronaldo and Ricardo Quaresma, two Sporting CP players. They had won the Toulon tournament with Portugal and were very good on the wings.

“We had been following Cristiano for a year, but it was dragging a bit because at the salary level it was more demanding than what we could do for Ronaldo.

“You have to know that there was a salary policy at Liverpool and Michael Owen had just won the Ballon d'Or. You couldn’t give a 17-year-old a higher salary than him.

“I have had a lot of contact with Cristiano but Manchester United played a friendly against Lisbon. Sporting won 3-1, Cristiano scored two goals [sic: Ronaldo did not score in the fixture] and all the United players said he had to be bought.

“His price went from £4 million to £13m and we could not match it.

“Maybe also our recruiter should have said yes right away but he wanted to be sure, to not make a mistake.”

Despite the near miss, Houllier has never held it against the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.

"It's funny because I've always kept a special relationship with Cristiano,” he said. “I was at his first Ballon d'Or ceremony with Alex Ferguson, he was really happy.

“We kept a kind of close relationship when I was coach of Liverpool and he played against us.

“He is a model of professionalism, an exceptionally hard worker. We can say whatever we want about him, he is a talented leader but also a leader of effort. Forty goals per season, chapeau!

“English football did him good, plus he had David Beckham as his tutor.”

Since moving on from United, Ronaldo has continued an illustrious career with Real Madrid and Juventus.

ATK Mohun Bagan kick-off their Indian Super League (ISL) campaign on November 20 against Kerala Blasters at the GMC Stadium, Bambolim, Goa.

In their second match, they will face SC East Bengal in a much-anticipated Kolkata Derby on November 27. 

Here is the schedule of ATK Mohun Bagan in ISL 2020-21 until January. 

Fixtures for only the first 11 rounds, which consists of 55 matches, have been released right now. The schedule for the remaining 55 league matches will be published in December as the league awaits clarity on calendar dates of Asian Football Confederation (AFC) matches.

The entire tournament will be held behind closed doors in Goa, due to the Covid-19 pandemic which means the teams will have to stay in a bio-bubble for the duration of the tournament. 

Hansi Flick believes David Alaba has been as impressive this season as he was in Bayern Munich's treble-winning campaign and remains hopeful the defender will stay in Bavaria.

Alaba's Bayern contract expires at the end of 2020-21 and tense negotiations over a renewal have prompted a public spat between his father and board member Uli Hoeness.

George Alaba reacted furiously to Hoeness' insinuation his son was only interested in money and accused him of "spreading dirty lies".

The Austria international is consequently said to be a target for a number of top clubs, with Bayern facing the possibility of losing another key member of last year's successful side after Thiago Alcantara joined Liverpool.

However coach Flick is still optimistic and says the speculation has not impacted Alaba's on-field performances. He has made seven starts in all competitions.

"Against [Arminia] Bielefeld, Atletico [Madrid] and Eintracht [Frankfurt], Alaba is doing a good job," Flick told a news conference ahead of Saturday's trip to Cologne. "I feel he's the same as last season, very focused, loud on the pitch, one of the players who leads our defence. For me, there's no difference between now and last season.

"I'm not concerning myself with [worries about a January transfer] at all right now.

"I still hope he'll sign with Bayern because I think he knows what the situation is like here in Munich. It's a lot of fun to train with a team with a good atmosphere here, we play successful football and this club is one of the best in the world.

"The conditions are top for every player right now and I think he'll think twice about changing that.

"It's his decision - and we have to respect that, obviously - but I hope he will stay. He has to decide, my feeling is irrelevant."

Alaba has won just 40 per cent of his tackles and 50 per cent of his duels across his four Bundesliga starts in 2020-21, but he is averaging two clearances and two interceptions per 90 minutes.

In the top flight last season he was successful with 56.7 per cent of his tackles and 54.6 per cent of his duels, while he averaged one interception and 1.2 blocks per 90 minutes.

Flick has three options at centre-back, with Alaba starting four times alongside Niklas Sule and three times with Jerome Boateng in all competitions.

The coach suggested Alaba and Boateng as a pair are "maybe ahead because they're matched a bit together" due to Sule's anterior cruciate ligament injury last season, but the Cologne game is the second of four consecutive away fixtures and Flick may have to rotate his team.

"It's the way it is," he said. "I would've preferred to have a home game in between but we accept the situation. We will try to distribute the strain. I'm not going to tell you how we'll do it, but we accept all these trips.

"We flew into Moscow and flew out, to get back to Munich quickly. We have to accept it and try to win the three points everywhere."

Arsenal have every right to feel frustrated at Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, says Nigel Winterburn, with the Gabonese striker having netted just once in his last six appearances.

Aubameyang was on target in the Community Shield, as Arsenal edged out Premier League champions Liverpool on penalties, before also hitting the net in an opening day win over Fulham.

Just one more effort has been added to his tally since then, in the Europa League clash with Rapid Vienna, and questions are being asked of a man tied to a lucrative contract.

Winterburn admits that Aubameyang needs to be offering more, even if playing out wide, with Alexandre Lacazette another proven frontman that is failing to fire at present.

The former Gunners defender told FreeSuperTips: “Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has certainly been less effective out wide. If you look back at all the games that he has played for Arsenal, he has started from the wide positions and has been scoring a lot of goals. 

“It is hard to say whether he would be more effective playing down the middle because he has been pushed wide to fit in Alexandre Lacazette. However right now, Lacazette is going through a dry patch in terms of scoring goals and not being that game changer for Arsenal that he once was.

“You have to consider that maybe he is not getting the service into the box, so when your team isn’t creating as many chances, there is always the claim that Aubameyang should play through the middle and be the main centre forward.

“Arsenal have many options in the wide areas, with the likes of [Nicolas] Pepe, Willian and Bukayo Saka. Mikel Arteta may look at it and think it hasn’t been working and change it.

“The fans will be rightly frustrated because he [Aubameyang] is the top goal scorer and currently, he is not putting the ball in the back of the net, not just because he is playing out wide, there is a lot more to it than that.”

Aubameyang was an unused substitute as Arsenal eased past Dundalk 3-0 in the Europa League on Thursday, with Arteta opting to rest him ahead of a return to Premier League action on Sunday away at Manchester United.

The Confederation of African Football President Ahmad Ahmad has tested positive for coronavirus on Friday.

Ahmad showed mild flu symptoms following his return to Cairo on Wednesday, after his recent trip to Morocco where he watched the Caf Confederation Cup final between Pyramids and RSB Berkane on Sunday.

Ahmad has immediately started his 14-day quarantine at his hotel in the Egyptian capital, to contain the spread of the virus.

“After his arrival in Cairo on Wednesday October 28, Mr. Ahmad Ahmad, President of CAF, presented mild flu symptoms, and submitted to the Covid19 protocol,” Caf statement read.

“Today, the test results are positive. The President immediately self-isolate for at least the next 14 days at his hotel.

“All those who have come into contact with Mr. Ahmad over the past seven days - especially during his trip to Morocco for the Confederation Cup - have been informed and requested to take the necessary measures.”

Earlier this week, FIFA president Gianni Infantino tested positive for Covid-19 after showing mild symptoms.

Ahmad’s medical update comes two days after he declared his intention to run for second term as Caf president with the election scheduled to take place in next year’s Extraordinary General Assembly in Morocco on March 12.

On Thursday, the 2019-20 Caf Champions League final as well as the semi-final second leg encounter between Zamalek and Raja Casablanca were postponed indefinitely after more Raja players tested positive for coronavirus.

Arsenal head coach is pleased that Willian was able to feature for 30 minutes against Dundalk in the Europa League on Thursday.

The Gunners ran out straightforward 3-0 winners at the Emirates Stadium in the clash, with Eddie Nketiah, Joe Willock and Nicolas Pepe all on target.

The scoring was completed by the time the experienced Brazil international arrived on the scene, but for his manager it was more about giving him the opportunity to gain some match sharpness after a period out with a calf injury.

“We missed Willian the last couple of weeks, he had a very short pre-season,” the former No 2 to Pep Guardiola at Manchester City said. "He needs that bit of rhythm. He looked good today, great to get some minutes in his legs.”

Willian previously given his thoughts on Arteta’s tactics, suggesting that they are not what he has been used to and that he has been forced to learn a new style of playing.

“It’s been a cool, new experience. I hadn’t worked with a coach with that mindset,” Willian told Globo Esporte. “The positional game doesn’t mean that you have no freedom on the pitch, you have the freedom to move, but many times you have to respect the position, what the coach asks, the instructions, understanding that it’ll be better for the team.

“It may happen that you don’t touch the ball and get frustrated, but Mikel always says that, wait a minute, the ball will arrive. I've been learning a lot.”

The 32-year-old, who arrived on a free transfer from Chelsea in the summer, has, nevertheless, made a somewhat promising start to his time, securing a couple of assists against Fulham on the opening day of the season. He subsequently picked up a calf problem and missed last weekend’s 1-0 loss at home to Leicester as a consequence.

He will expect to have a role to play in Sunday’s showpiece fixture against Manchester United at Old Trafford, an opponent against which he has only scored one goal in his previous 10 outings.

The Gunners are presently 11th in the standings, having won three and lost three of their matches to date.