Arsenal

[McDermotX]

Valencia pull one back


The ****test goal ever.

[McDermotX]

Handy for Arsenal in the end. Bit of afters when I switched over there.....No doubt footballers just being gracious in victory and defeat.

Chelsea going to ET.....Last chance of the game

[Snigger]

Have Aubameyang and Cat from Red Dwarf ever been seen in the same room together?

[dom9]

[ame]https://twitter.com/gdunbarap/status/1128981905611874304[/ame]


Haha

[The_weatherman]

https://twitter.com/gdunbarap/status...81905611874304


Haha

That is excellent

[Exiled_red]

https://twitter.com/gdunbarap/status...81905611874304


Haha

[Phoenix07]

Arsenal midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan will not play in the Europa League final against Chelsea on 29 May.

It is understood the Armenian, 30, feared for his safety on the pitch in Baku, Azerbaijan.

"Having considered all current options, we had to take the tough decision for me not to travel with the squad to the Europa League final," said Mkhitaryan.

"It's the kind of game that doesn't come along very often and I admit, it hurts a lot to miss it."

As a result of political tensions between Azerbaijan and Armenia, Mkhitaryan has missed club matches played in Azerbaijan in the past.

"We have written to Uefa expressing our deep concerns about this situation," read an Arsenal statement.

"We have thoroughly explored all the options for Micki to be part of the squad but after discussing this with Micki and his family we have collectively agreed he will not be in our travelling party.

"Micki has been a key player in our run to the final so this is a big loss for us from a team perspective.

"We're also very sad that a player will miss out on a major European final in circumstances such as this, as it is something that comes along very rarely in a footballer's career."

Arsenal, who finished fifth in the Premier League, will qualify for next season's Champions League if they beat Chelsea.

It would be their first European trophy since they won the Cup Winners' Cup in 1994.

On Monday, Azerbaijan's ambassador to the UK, Tahir Taghizadeh, said there was no cause for concern.

"I would say [to Mkhitaryan] 'you are a professional athlete, you are a footballer, and a class A footballer', so let's make sure this is a class A event if our purpose is to make a great final," Taghizadeh told Sky Sports.

"If our purpose is to play political games around it, that is something different, but I hope it is not, because you [Mkhitaryan] are being paid as a footballer, not as a politician, so let's leave other issues aside."

There are no diplomatic relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan because of a longstanding conflict over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region. Azerbaijan usually does not allow foreign nationals of Armenian descent to enter the country.

While playing for Borussia Dortmund in 2015, Mkhitaryan did not travel for a Europa League tie against Azerbaijan Premier League side Gabala because of security concerns.

He also missed Arsenal's 3-0 Europa League win at FK Qarabag in October, with manager Unai Emery saying "he cannot travel here" despite Uefa offering their support over a visa application.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/48348207

[Alex]

Its disgraceful. Money has won the day again. Now a player cant do his job.

A lot of Arsenal fans I know wont care too much that he cant play, but its not the point.

[shanks69]

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/arsenal-fans-wearing-henrikh-mkhitaryan-16215230?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sharebar

Sent from my SM-N960F using Tapatalk

[Irishnev]

[ame="https://twitter.com/sntvstory/status/1133367610517708801"]https://twitter.com/sntvstory/status/1133367610517708801[/ame]

[Leyton388]

They should never have been given the final in the first place.

[Patricks_Berger]

It’s actually a really cool city, I’ve been there 4 times.

[Angryred]

On the basis of Chelsea already qualified for the CL, does Arsenal still need to win to get that CL spot for next season?

[Assassin]

On the basis of Chelsea already qualified for the CL, does Arsenal still need to win to get that CL spot for next season?

Yes

[McDermotX]

FWIW.......I think I'll plump for Arsenal tonight.

Chelsea are just a bunch of massive cunts......can't stand any of them, bar Sarri and he'll be off in the summer.

Arsenal, by comparison, are relatively inoffensive. Plus it couldn't hurt having another one of the supposed big sides having a CL distraction.

Mainly the former though.