Arsenal round-up: Ospina set to start; Supporters’ Trust accuse club; Xhaka charge dropped

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Arsene Wenger is going to make a slightly surprising selection decision tomorrow night with David Ospina set to start in goal. The reserve goalkeeper has played in all six Champions League matches to date and he is set to retain his place at the Allianz Arena, despite Petr Cech being the only player at the club to have won the tournament. This story comes from the Mirror, and the report states that senior players in the squad are surprised at the decision. It is a huge vote of confidence from the manager, but it comes as a result of a promise made during the summer. Wenger told Ospina that he would be the Champions League keeper this season in an attempt to keep him at the club as the understudy.

The Colombian international has played well in Europe this season and played a major role as Arsenal topped their group ahead of PSG, but few would have expected him to retain his place in the knockout rounds. That said, Arsenal will have to be at their best across both legs and their defensive frailties will be a bigger concern than Wenger’s decision to start Ospina. It has the potential to shape the rest of Arsenal’s season and it is imperative that they secure a respectable result in Germany to give them the best chance of progression.

The Arsenal Supporter’s Trust believe that the club are ‘deliberately misleading’ fans with wrong attendance figures. This comes after Arsenal’s home victory over Hull City was watched by 59,692 people according to the club, but there were a number of empty seats that were visible, which suggests the attendance was significantly smaller. The AST have estimated that there were as many as 10,000 seats not in use. Although this number does seem to be over-estimating the empty seats, it highlights the growing disconnect between the supporters and the club.

“What they’re giving you is tickets sold. They do know what the [real] attendance figure is and sometimes we’re able to get hold of it.”

It is a concern for Arsenal that their fan-base appears disenchanted at this moment of time. There could be some truth in the above comments, but that shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone. A lot of clubs release the attendance based on tickets sold, especially when things are not going well on the pitch, as it hides the anger among the fan-base. Arsenal fans are clearly upset with what is happening on the pitch and this is the latest example of that.

Granit Xhaka has had some off-the-pitch problems recently after an incident that occurred at Heathrow Airport. However, the Swiss international won’t face charges after being cleared of racially abusing airline staff. This came just days after he received a red card on the pitch against Burnley. He has been interviewed by police under caution, but the case will go no further, which is great news for Arsenal.

He is set to return to return from this weekend to face Sutton United, while he will also be able to play on Wednesday in the Champions League. Arsenal have faced problems in the centre of midfield and they look to be coming to an end. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has played well during the absence of Mohamed Elneny, Granit Xhaka and Santi Cazorla, which provides Wenger with a selection problem of a different kind. He offers a more dynamic option than the rest and could be the perfect deputy for Cazorla. That said, he isn’t a natural in the role and it would be a huge risk for him to retain his place on Wednesday.

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