£69m Sporting CP star now banned for Arsenal game, Gunners duo face suspension risk
Arsenal have been handed a timely boost ahead of the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final against Sporting CP on the road.
The Gunners progressed to the last eight stage of the Champions League following a 3-1 aggregate win over Bayer Leverkusen in the round of 16.
The tie was evenly matched after a 1-1 draw at the BayArena, but Arsenal dominated the home leg with a comfortable 2-0 victory on Tuesday night.
Arsenal will now meet Sporting CP in the quarter-final phase next month.
They have received an advantage for the first leg at the Jose Alvalade Stadium with Sporting CP midfielder and captain Morten Hjulmand suspended.
The Dane, who has a £69 million release clause in his Sporting contract, already faced a one-game ban after picking up three yellow cards in Europe earlier this season.
The UEFA follow a 3-5-7-9 sequence for bookings. Hjulmand received his fifth yellow card of the campaign in the stunning 5-0 win over Bodo/Glimt at home yesterday.
As a result, the former Lecce man is ruled out of the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final, which will leave a huge void in the heart of Sporting’s midfield.
Meanwhile, Arsenal midfielder Martin Zubimendi is also walking a tightrope. He is on four bookings in the competition and one away from a second European suspension.
The yellow cards only reset after both legs of the quarter-final. Zubimendi must be cautious against Sporting next month to avoid another Champions League ban.
Alongside the Spaniard, Christian Norgaard finds himself in a similar position. Hjulmand’s compatriot is on two yellow cards and one shy of an automatic one-match suspension.
Like Zubimendi, the former Brentford midfielder needs to tread with caution in the next two games to avoid missing out on a potential semi-final in Europe’s elite competition.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com
The post £69m Sporting CP star now banned for Arsenal game, Gunners duo face suspension risk first appeared on ArsenalNews.co.uk.