Arsenal are without a number of key players for their fourth Champions League outing of the league phase, including suspended midfield general Martín Zubimendi.
Signing the Real Sociedad metronome was the first major piece of business conducted by the ambitious Gunners in the summer, with Mikel Arteta knowing he had to make up for the departures of Jorginho and Thomas Partey.
And Zubimendi has so far been a hit for the Premier League leaders. Stationed at the base of Arsenal’s engine room, the Spanish international has notched the third-most minutes in Arteta’s squad across all competitions this season (1,099) and scored twice, with both goals arriving in the 3–0 victory over Nottingham Forest in September.
However, the Arsenal boss will be forced to pivot to an alternative on Tuesday night in Czechia’s capital, as the Gunners face Slavia Prague in Gameweek 4 of the league phase with the aim of maintaining their perfect start to the competition.
The travelling side was already without Gabriel Jesus, Martin Ødegaard, Kai Havertz, Noni Madueke, and Gabriel Martinelli due to injury. Although Zubimendi picked up a knock in Saturday’s 2–0 win over Burnley, that’s not the reason for his midweek absence.
Why Arsenal’s Martín Zubimendi Isn’t Playing vs. Slavia Prague?
Viktor Gyökeres and Zubimendi emerged as two injury concerns at the weekend, with the former suffering a muscle issue that will keep him out until after the November international break.
Zubimendi, meanwhile, trained ahead of Arsenal’s trip to Prague, but won’t travel with the team. The Spaniard became the first player to earn a suspension in this season’s Champions League due to yellow card accumulation. He’s picked up three bookings in the Gunners’ first three games of the league phase, and will thus be banned for Tuesday’s clash with Slavia Prague.
The midfielder will be eligible to return for Gameweek 5, when Arsenal welcome Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich to the Emirates.
Zubimendi isn’t off the leash yet, though, because UEFA rules stipulate that players will also earn one-game bans for every odd numbered yellow card they receive after their third. If the Spaniard picks up a fifth yellow card before the slate is wiped clean after the quarterfinals, he’ll miss another game.
In his place, Arteta has deployed another summer arrival in Christian Nørgaard in a holding midfield position.
Arsenal Starting XI vs. Slavia Prague
(4-3-3): David Raya; Jurriën Timber, William Saliba, Gabriel, Piero Hincapié; Ethan Nwaneri, Christian Nørgaard, Declan Rice; Bukayo Saka, Mikel Merino, Leandro Trossard.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Why Martin Zubimendi Isn’t Playing for Arsenal vs. Slavia Prague.