Arsenal FC Team News: Campbell Hoping To Soften Sanchez Blow For Gunners

Arsenal FC travel to Greece knowing that they must win the game against Olypiakos with two or more goals or win by scoring three or more. The Gunners, however, will be without the talismanic forward Alexis Sanchez as well as influential midfielder Santi Cazorla.

The Gunners will be without a number of key players for their crunch Champions League group match. The loss of the trio of Santi Cazorla, Francis Coquelin and Alexis Sanchez will hurt the most to the Gunners.

Sanchez has played a hand in 7 of the 9 goals the London side have notched up in the poor Champions League campaign so far. His loss would not leave a huge gap to fill not only on the performance side of things, but also effect morale.

Jack Wilshere, Aaron Ramsey, Danny Welbeck, Tomas Rosicky and David Ospina are the other players not available for selection.

Calum Chambers is expected to be lined up in midfield to shield the back 4 that will see Gabriel or Per Mertersacker line up alongside Laurent Koscielny.

However, the Arsene Wenger will have a decision to make in terms of deploying Theo Walcott or Joel Campbell.

Walcott returned at the weekend for the first time since missing out following the exit from the League Cup. The English international comes closest in the Arsenal FC squad to replace Sanchez’s pace, trickery and finishing ability. Joel Campbell though will be much more fitter and Walcott could be called up as an impact player in the second half.

Campbell himself has turned a corner at the Emirates and, having played for Olympiakos on loan back in his early Arsenal FC days, the player will be in more of a comfort zone for the travel to the Greek outfit’s home ground.

ARSENAL AIM FOR CONSECUTIVE FA CUP HAT-TRICK

LONDON – Arsenal will begin their quest to become the first team in modern times to win the FA Cup three years running with a home tie against fellow Premier League side Sunderland in January.

Monday’s draw in Cardiff for the third round of the most historic domestic knockout competition in world football produced an unusually high total of five all-top flight ties.

Arsene Wenger’s holders will start their defence against the side they beat 3-1 in the league on Saturday as they seek to become only the third team in the history of the venerable competition to win the trophy for three years in succession.

The last team to achieve the feat were Blackburn Rovers, who won the Cup in 1884, 1885 and 1886 in Britain's Victorian era, eight years after Wanderers had performed a similar treble.

The third round draw, which traditionally sees the introduction of the glamour clubs into the event, also paired two current Premier League high flyers, fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur against current leaders Leicester City.

The other top-tier ties are Watford versus Newcastle United, Southampton against Crystal Palace and Norwich at home to Manchester City.

Juergen Klopp’s Liverpool, smarting from a 2-0 league defeat at Newcastle on Sunday, will visit fourth-tier Exeter City.

The draw, as usual, offered the whiff of romance with four non-league sides still in the competition given the chance to tackle the big boys.

Of those, only National League team Eastleigh are definitely through to the third round and they have been rewarded with a home tie against Bolton Wanderers, currently struggling at the foot of the second-tier Championship.

Seventh-tier club Salford City, the non-league side co-owned by five ex-Manchester United internationals, have captured the all headlines in the competition so far and have the prospect of a home tie if they win their second-round replay at Hartlepool.

The Northern Premier League Premier Division side, in whom brothers Gary and Phil Neville, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt hold a 50 percent stake, will play Derby County, currently third in the Championship, if they get through.

Semi-professional Whitehawk, a National League South side, have the incentive of a lucrative trip to Goodison Park to take on Premier League Everton but have to beat Dagenham & Redbridge, of League Two, in their second round replay.

THE FA CUP FIXTURE IN FULL

Hull City            v Brighton & Hove Albion
    
Middlesbrough        v Burnley
    
Norwich City         v Manchester City
   
Cardiff City         v Grimsby/Shrewsbury
  
 Huddersfield Town    v Reading
 
Doncaster Rovers     v Stoke City
    
Leeds United         v Rotherham

Carlisle United      v Yeovil Town

Chelsea              v Leyton Orient/Scunthorpe United

Eastleigh            v Bolton Wanderers

Nottingham Forest    v Queens Park Rangers

Everton              v Dagenham & Redbridge/Whitehawk

Southampton          v Crystal Palace

Bury                 v Bradford City

Manchester United    v Sheffield United

Oxford United        v Swansea City

Brentford            v Chesterfield/Walsall

Wycombe Wanderers    v Aston Villa

Sheffield Wednesday  v Fulham

Ipswich Town         v Portsmouth

Birmingham City      v Bournemouth

Newport County       v Blackburn Rovers

Peterborough         v Preston North End

Northampton Town     v MK Dons

Tottenham Hostpur    v Leicester City

Colchester United    v Charlton Athletic

Salford/Hartlepool United v Derby County

Exeter City          v Liverpool

West Ham United      v Wolverhampton Wanderers

West Bromwich Albion v Bristol City

Watford              v Newcastle United

Diego Costa cops three-match ban for Laurent Koscielny clash during Chelsea-Arsenal EPL match

Chelsea's Spain forward Diego Costa has been banned for three matches for raising his hands to the face of Arsenal centre-back Laurent Koscielny.

Costa was found guilty on Wednesday (AEST) of violent conduct during Chelsea's 2-0 Premier League win over their London rivals on Saturday.

The 26-year-old former Atletico Madrid striker had denied the Football Association charge over the incident, which had been missed by referee Mike Dean.

"An FA charge against Diego Costa for violent conduct not seen by the match officials but caught on video has been found proven following an Independent Regulatory Commission hearing," said the FA in a statement.

"The Chelsea forward will, therefore, serve the standard penalty of a three-match suspension with immediate effect."

Costa twice appeared to strike Koscielny with his hand towards the end of the first half at Stamford Bridge and then became embroiled in an altercation with Arsenal's Brazilian defender Gabriel, for which both players were booked.

Moments later, with Costa and Gabriel continuing to snipe at each other, the Arsenal defender flicked his heel towards the Chelsea striker and Dean reacted by sending the Brazilian off.

However, earlier on Wednesday, Arsenal won an appeal against Gabriel's dismissal, freeing the 24-year-old to play in Arsenal's north London derby against Tottenham Hotspur in the League Cup on Wednesday night.

Photo: Arsenal’s Laurent Koscielny steps up recovery in new boots

Laurent Koscielny has taken to social media to show off his latest pair of football boots as the Arsenal defender bids to recover from his hamstring injury before the return of the Premier League.

Laurent Koscielny is in recovery mode after suffering a hamstring injury

The Gunners defender was substituted during Arsenal’s surprise 3-2 loss to Olympiacos in the Champions League last week after suffering the injury at Emirates Stadium.

The centre-half missed Arsenal’s impressive 3-0 win over Manchester United in the Premier League on Saturday and manager Arsene Wenger confirmed that Koscielny was set to be sidelined for around three weeks ahead of the game.

Now, however, it appears that Koscielny is focused and ready to step up his rehabilitation as he looks to return to fitness in time for Arsenal’s Premier League clash with Watford after the international break on 17 October.

Koscielny posted the picture above on his Twitter account and wrote: “Details making all the difference:-) Thanks nikefootball”

The France international has been a regular fixture in Arsenal’s first-team this season, starting six Premier League games for the Gunners.

Arsenal optimistic Laurent Koscielny will be fit for Bayern Munich

Arsenal are optimistic that Laurent Koscielny will return to action for the Champions League clash with Bayern Munich later this month, sources have told ESPN FC.

Koscielny, who suffered a hamstring injury in Arsenal's shock 3-2 defeat at home to Olympiakos, was expected to be out of action for three weeks.

The central defender missed last weekend's 3-0 win over Manchester United and he was forced to withdraw from international duty with France this week.

However, Koscielny is making a quicker than expected recovery and Arsenal are hopeful he will be fit for the Bayern match at home on Oct. 20.

Arsenal's medical staff are working overtime to help Koscielny recover to full fitness, with Gunners boss Arsene Wenger keen to have the 30-year-old back for the Bayern test.

Koscielny is unlikely to be risked for the trip to Watford after the international break with the upcoming Champions League match a must-win. Arsenal are bottom of Group F having lost both of their opening two games in Europe.

David Ospina: Starts in Champions League loss

It doesn’t appear that Arsenal is any better this season than they were last season.

“In this country, only one manager is not under pressure”, Mourinho said last week. “The disappointment is that it’s happened before”.

Wenger was happy to acknowledge the efforts of Louis van Gaal at Old Trafford, who has taken his side to the top of the table after seven games, but Wenger insisted it was far too early to predict an outcome in the title race.

But Wenger hit out at questions on the subject, and when comments made by Jose Mourinho last week were put to him, threatened to storm out.

But the Real Sociedad loanee revealed his side had prepared to make the most of Arsenal’s lapses at the back. “You can’t come to a conclusion yet”. Was I right or wrong. “I never criticised that”. I accept your judgment of how the team played and your assessment. “You are capable of judging what I do and I leave you to do that”.

Do you think you should be more accountable to fans on selection issues.

“OOPSPINA” was the headline in British newspaper the Daily Mirror, while the Daily Express said the former Nice goalkeeper had committed a “calamity” and The Sun said Wenger’s men had been “humiliated”.

Olympiacos coach Marco Silva hailed his players for a monumental victory and does not want to now set a target for where his team can go in the competition.

“Do not always come back with that same story”. I don’t go along with that. “You can not select the team by making a poll before the game and getting everybody’s opinion”.

The Gunners square up with United in a 4pm kick off on Sunday, just days after losing 3-2 to Greek giants Olympiacos on Tuesday night.

“To come always with such same story”. They don’t analyse well.

“One pundit says something on television and all behind that they repeat exactly the same thing”. It is quite boring.

“You have to win your home games if you want to qualify from the group stage, it is simple as that”.

“There are three points between the teams, we play at home in a big game”.

In injury news, centre back Laurent Koscielny is expected to be sidelined for around three weeks with a hamstring problem picked up against Olympiakos.

Yesterday marked 19 years since Wenger first took charge of Arsenal, but the Frenchman clearly isn’t now in the mood to celebrate such feats.

Asked how he thought the Gunners would be affected on Sunday by the defeat in Europe, the United boss told MUTV: “That I don’t know of course – I am not there, I am here and we are happy”.

“I think there’s certainly a weakness to the group, they look like they lack characters, leaders and winners”.

Laurent Koscielny injury: Arsenal optimistic of having French international back for Bayern Munich clash

Arsenal have received a major boost on the injury front with the club optimistic regarding Laurent Koscielny's return from a hamstring injury for their key Champions League clash against Bayern Munich on 21 October. The French defender suffered a hamstring injury midway through the Gunners' clash against Olympiacos in their second group game in the elite European competition.

According to ESPN FC, the north London club's medical staff are quite confident of the defender's return to face the Bavarian giants after initial diagnosis ruled him out for at least three weeks. This will be welcome news for Arsene Wenger, especially since Arsenal's hopes of qualifying to the knockout phase of the competition are hanging by a thread following consecutive losses in their opening two group stage games.

Koscielny missed Arsenal's 3-0 win over Manchester United prior to the international break with Per Mertesacker and Gabriel impressing with an assured performance, but the French manager, who confirmed the injury, will be keen to have his compatriot back for the crucial clash against the Bundesliga champions.

"Laurent Koscielny will certainly be out, he has a hamstring strain and it looks like it will be three weeks, something like that," Wenger confirmed ahead of the game against United, as quoted on Arsenal's official site.

The report claims that the French international defender will not be risked for the clash against Watford in the Premier League following the international break, as the game against Bayern will make or break the 12-time FA Cup winners' Champions League dream this season.

Meanwhile, according to the Daily Mail, Mikel Arteta and Mathieu Flamini, who were both out with a hamstring injury and a dead leg respectively, are expected to return for the clash against Watford on 17 October.

The French midfielder suffered an injury during the north London club's 5-2 win over Leicester City, while the Arsenal skipper also suffered a slight muscular problem in the same game. Their return to the first-team will provide Wenger with much needed options in midfield owing to the number of games coming up following the international break.