Arsene Wenger has said that defender Laurent Koscielny could return for Saturday’s trip to Leicester City. The Boss was speaking ahead of the clash between the two top teams in last season’s Premier League (via The Mirror).
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Match: Leicester v Arsenal
Stadium: King Power Stadium
Kick Off (GMT): Sat 20 Aug 17:30
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Arsenal didn’t have the best of matches against Liverpool last weekend. The 4-3 defeat was borderline embarrassing and much of the criticism was aimed at the Gunners’ defence. Gabriel Paulista and Per Mertesacker are out with long-term injuries, and Laurent Koscielny was not match fit.
The Frenchman was given an extended break following his exploits with his national team at the European Championships but could feature on Saturday. When asked about the trio of players who are set to return – Koscielny along with Olivier Giroud and Mesut Ozil – Wenger said “I will have to take a gamble but I still have 48 hours to decide.”
The Boss was then asked about Koscielny specifically. “It’s very difficult,” the Boss said. “The clubs pay always for the fact the players play in this tournament. The Euro finished July 10, you started 14th August so what can you do? Do you give the player normal holiday and they aren’t ready or they are mentally and physically jaded. The fact is I gave him holiday at the start with Gabriel, Mertesacker, we lost the two.”
Wenger also spoke about whether Koscielny will make his awaited return on Saturday evening. “If I have to take a gamble on one it will certainly be on him.”
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The manager also spoke about the injury to Aaron Ramsey. The midfielder was subbed off during last Sunday’s match against Liverpool and was rumoured to be out for a month. “Ramsey is out for 2-3 weeks.” The boss confirmed. “It is not a bad injury. He should be back after the break.” He is referring to the international break coming up in a couple of weeks. As we reported earlier in the week, Ramsey should be fit for the match against Southampton on September 10.
Stay tuned for AllArsenal’s predicted lineup and other matchday features.
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