Alex Lacazette will be available for Thursday’s game against Rennes after UEFA reduced his suspension for the red card received in the first leg of our Europa League clash with BATE Borisov to two games.
We all thought the France international would receive a standard one-game ban for his elbow late in the game in Belarus only for the authorities to extend that to three.
Thankfully, we’ve won an appeal and Unai Emery can now pick the striker for a game in which we need to score at least two goals.
A statement from UEFA reads: “The appeal lodged by Arsenal FC has been partially upheld. To suspend the Arsenal FC player Alexandre Lacazette for two (2) Uefa competition matches for which he would be otherwise eligible for serious rough play.
“Note: Lacazette has already served the two-match suspension following Arsenal FC’s Uefa Europa League matches – round of 32 second-leg match against BATE Borisov on February 21, and round of 16 first-leg match against Rennes on March 7.”
Sounds like he’s been playing some pretty good golf.
Lette off the hook.
We’d better mark this day on the Calendar!
Would never have happened if AW was still manager!!!
U mean the elbow, the red card or the appeal?
The Appeal. They must like Emery because Arsene got nothing from them
What elbow? I didn’t see it.
Too late, should have reduced before the first Rennes game. Obviously UEFA want the big dog to remain in the tournament.
Glad to have him back, Laca Auba Rambo and Ozil on Thursday please!!!
Yeah, I would be pissed if I was a Rennes fan.
Good thing I’m not.
Fuck Rennes, they got a game cancelled so they could rest, got the home field game switched, and had the refs looking out for them all game. I hope they get relegated after Arsenal thrash them.
Good news on point… Bring on Thursday.
Great news as he is currently our in form striker. Fingers crossed we can turn it round. We have a much better chance with Laca in the side.
H also is the only striker who can create chances if opponents park the bus.
Its strange we seem to be getting a bit of good luck going our way. I really like this.
I thought he got out because of good behaviour. Apparently we appealed. ?
Nice that UEFA are prepared to admit they were wrong in extending the ban. I wish FA were brave enough to do that sort of thing occasionally.
Great news
let’s hope for a hat trick in that game
And our next match isn’t until 1 April. No need to rest any of our regulars — we can focus just on this one match and play our strongest squad!
Play the same team
Let’s give them a spanking and then have fun in Dubai
Cmon
We can’t as Sokratis is suspended. However Torreira is available
Wow! With the gap of games coming up after Thursday I expect us to go full strength and wallop Rennes at the Emerates!
Exact same lineup as against United would be nice!
Start all- laca auba ozil miki and ramsey
We could only do that with a back four.
Sokratis still suspended though right? People asking for same line-up as Man U but we can’t if he’s out no?
Mustafi will have to come in but considering we have no game until April Fool’s we have got to go for this regardless. Would be so shit to go out now.
If we can get an early goal (i.e. inside 20/25 mins) we stand a really good chance. One of them ‘fingers crossed’ type scenarios
A good point. I’d legitimately prefer mavrapanos to mustafi though but we could go back 4, move Monreal in and play kolasinac left maybe.
Don’t let us mustafi yet another important game up….
I’m curious to know why the downvote. I found the one pro mustafi arsenal fan left?
Maybe because Mavropanos is not included in the Europa League squad so he cannot play
There will be a lot off offensive corners. You need Mustafi’s headers.
If you’re pro arsenal you’re pro mustafi because you support the team. He’s out of form at the moment but there’s a half decent defender in there, and to give him his dues, he never gives anything but 100% and never shys away from the challenge. I still roll my eyes at some if his decisions, but that can coached out of him.
Mustafi played well against them so I think he’ll start on the right, with Kos in the middle, and Monreal on the left of a three. That should provide room for the firepower needed to score a quick two or more… Fingers crossed.
Toucan, agreed he had a solid match against Rennes, but surely we’d go with AMN after the game he had versus Manure combined with the fact that he is a billion times better going forward when we need to score goals, right?
I am not against starting Maitland-Niles, but I just want to point out how people remember what they want. He was quite poor in the first half against Man United, much better in the second half. You choose to remember only the latter. Mustafi has played very well for quite a while–though still making a big mistake to concede the penalty against Spurs. (If the offside flag had gone up, as it should have, would we even remember it?)
Good news for arsenal, that can give Arsenal the more confidence and to reach the quarter finals
Good stuff. I reckon we should field as many as possible of the players that we had on the pitch at the weekend, given we don’t play again until 1st April. There should be enough in that line up to right the wrongs of the first leg. We just have to manage without Sokratis which might mean Mustafi… Otherwise I would like to see a back four with Monreal as a centre back, Ramsey, Xhaka, Ozil in the middle, Auba left, Laca central and Mkhi on the right. Go all out to over power them and get ahead in the… Read more »
Hallelujah!!! We at Arsenal do believe in miracles.
Would wonders never cease! We’re talking about UEFA here people… Never expected this. Loving it.
Go with the same 11 as Sunday and blow them away
No Sokratis as he is suspended
GUYS!! SOC IS SUSPENDED!!
It’s bollocks because we can not afford to concede but that’s it.
Mustafi will play I’m surein the middle with Koz, AMN at RB and Nacho at LB. Torreira is back and rested so we have him with Xhaka so should be good in midfield. Play Auba at LW, Mhiki on the right, Ozil free role behind Lacca interchanging with Mhiki and Auba and that should do it.
It’s all going to be about our distribution from midfield and how fast we can break on them because it will be park the bus time for Rennes.
Laca new signing
Sorry
Bravo! 🙂
Never gets old!
It does
A great week has just got better!
Whoa! That’s massive
Can someone explain why it was reduced. Surely a straight red for an intentional elbow is clear.
And yes I know he was provoked, and gets it most games
Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth
I’m not, im just curious
Not saying this is why, but honestly, if I were a Rennes supporter, I would be wondering about how much UEFA wanting a big boy to stay in the tourney had to do with this decision.
Indeed
I picture that comment over the garden fence many years ago. 🙂
3 game ban is for a full Vinney Jones. It wasn’t that?
Start the same lineup as ManU. Overwhelm them with an attacking play they have never seen.
Agreed, if our defence can play as they did Sunday then we’ll have plenty in attack to win
We need the whole stadium full of gooners to make so much noise and be the 12th man. That should do the trick. And I think gooners need a new chant, one that intimidates the opposition. I always feel that our chants are a tad subdued.
Fantastic. We need goals. Two up front with Ozil supporting has to be one of the options. Or Laca up top with iwobi and Mhki wider. Some rotation needed too for fresh legs. Prob Torreira and Guendouzi also available although Granit has been critical at the moment. At the back Koscielny may need a break but do ends on fitness of Mustafi who was pretty badly knocked last leg. As we also need to be wary of conceding, the back 3 is also a good option. As mentioned before there are no absolutes. Everything is dictated by who we face… Read more »
Laca to score 2 and jenko to get 1 you heard it here first!!!!
Xhaka’s on a yellow so if he gets booked he’ll miss the Quarter Final first leg, assuming we qualify.
‘if’?
15 seconds in.
I am heading to the casino…
Thanks should go to UEFA authorities for hearing and accepts our appeal …. Hope we will win the match for at least 3 – 0 for the next round …. #COYG ????
UEFA ruling in our favor on anything? Truly this is a new era.
Lets hope for Ben Arfa got agitated, as ever
blitz them. same team as the united game. taint their memories of the first leg with a demolition job tomorrow. 4-0 half time. they’re not that good and we have the players. lay down a marker.