Arsenal are in Europa League action in midweek but Granit Xhaka will play no part in their clash with Vitoria on Wednesday evening.
The Gunners sit top of Group F after three games with a three-point cushion over nearest rivals Eintracht Frankfurt.
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Given that they face bottom-of-the-table Vitoria, who have lost all three of their games thus far, they’ll be confident of taking a major step towards qualifying for the knockout stage.
However, they’ll look to do so without their club captain in the squad, as Arsenal named their travelling 18-man group on Tuesday, as per the club’s official site, with no sign of Xhaka on the list.
It follows on from his clash with fans during the draw with Crystal Palace at the end of last month, as he reacted angrily as he was jeered while leaving the pitch to be substituted.
Having removed his shirt and stormed straight down the tunnel, the Switzerland international later released a statement with an apology of sorts to the fans who felt let down by the 27-year-old, while he also hit out at those supporters who have subjected him to abuse online in recent weeks.
After being left out of the squad to face Wolves at the weekend, Xhaka will not make his comeback against Vitoria either as he wasn’t included in the list to face the Portuguese outfit.
In turn, the next possible opportunity that Arsenal fans will get to see him back in action will be the clash with Leicester City at the King Power Stadium on Saturday evening but it remains to be seen if Emery is ready to select him as the trip away in Europe in midweek would seemingly be the ideal time to reintroduce him into the line-up away from any possible pressure or tension with Arsenal fans.
Time will tell what kind of reception he gets after the controversial incident last month, but perhaps Emery and Arsenal are looking to take the sting out of the situation before reintroducing him.
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