Arsenal playmaker Mesut Ozil has reportedly been ruled out of the clash with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday due to injury.
The 28-year-old was absent from training on Saturday with the rest of the squad ahead of the encounter, as reported in the tweets below, and so he’s now considered a major doubt and a likely absentee.
Aaron Ramsey was also considered a doubt for Arsenal, but he was pictured training as seen below, while he was also joined by the likes of Petr Cech, Alexandre Lacazette, Laurent Koscielny, Granit Xhaka and Danny Welbeck, who were all rested in midweek against FC Koln in the Europa League.
In turn, that raises serious question marks over Ozil’s presence in the squad on Sunday, although it might not be considered too much of a negative for Arsenal given the German international’s struggles in the big games against direct rivals for some time now.
There’s no denying Ozil’s quality and his ability to be a game-winner, but perhaps in a game of this magnitude his absence will now open up an opportunity for someone else to step in and provide Arsenal with what they need in what will undoubtedly be a tough examination of their credentials to prove themselves as Premier League title contenders this season.
Meanwhile, Goal.com’s Chris Wheatley also notes that Jack Wilshere isn’t in the squad to face Chelsea, but he could step up his push for a regular spot in the line-up with a start against Doncaster in the League Cup this week.
