Despite making one of the largest transfers for a goalkeeper in Premier League history, Arsenal are set to take on Olympiacos in the Champions League without their prized stopper.
According to the Mirror, Arsene Wenger intends to bench Petr Cech for their second matchday bout in favour of backup stopper David Ospina. The move comes as a bit of a surprise and is a considerable gamble after Ospina struggled on matchday one against Dinamo Zagreb just two weeks ago.
Dinamo Zagreb won the match 2-1, leaving Arsenal with zero points on the group table. Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich remain heavy favourites to clinch the No. 1 spot in the group.
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Arsenal acquired Petr Cech in a massive transfer from bitter-rival Chelsea during the transfer window in their marquee move of the summer. Cech has played every minute of Arsenal’s seven Premier League matches and has three clean sheets so far.
However, the gamble may prove fruitful to Arsenal’s Premier League ambitions: The match against Olympiacos is set to be one of the easiest remaining on their Champions League schedule, but the Gunners have to stay healthy enough for their big match against Manchester United this weekend.
It isn’t hard to imagine every Premier League manager cringing after seeing what happened to Man United’s star defender Luke Shaw two weeks ago – a gruesome leg injury – and adjusting their rosters to minimize the risk to their star players in the weaker fixtures.
Arsenal midfielders Mikel Arteta and Mathieu Flamini have already been ruled out with injuries.