Arsene Wenger, the Arsenal manager, is considering bringing defender Per Mertesacker back from his post-World Cup lay-off early as injury cover for Tuesday night’s Uefa Champions League first-leg play-off against Besiktas.
Mertesacker and his Germany teammates Mesut Ozil and Lukas Podolski were given the extended break by Wenger after the World Cup triumph in Brazil last month with the trio scheduled to miss the first few weeks of the campaign.
But defenders Laurent Koscielny and Kieran Gibbs received knocks in Saturday’s 2-1 win over Crystal Palace in their English Premier League opener, meaning Mertesacker, who last week announced his international retirement, could be drafted in to play.
“We will assess Koscielny on Monday,” Wenger said. “If he’s fit and capable to play, we play him. It was our plan to bring the Germans back in contention for Everton [on Saturday]. But in case of emergency I will take Mertesacker.
“Ideally he would need one more week preparation, but he’s willing to play, no problem. We are a bit short.”
Frenchman Koscielny drew the Gunners level on the stroke of half-time on Saturday after Brede Hangeland’s glancing header gave Palace the lead at the Emirates Stadium.
The centre-back played the full 90 minutes but suffered from pain in his foot, while Gibbs lasted little over an hour before succumbing to a hamstring injury.
Arsenal are aiming to reach the Champions League group stages for the 17th consecutive season. After an impressive 3-0 Community Shield win over champions Manchester City and the victory over Palace, courtesy of Aaron Ramsey’s late winner, Wenger was confident of progressing past the Turkish side.
“We are desperate to do it because we want to play in the Champions League and we know how big these games are,” Wenger said.
“We had to give a lot, hopefully we will recover and be ready for Tuesday night.
“We are desperate to go through, no matter what it costs we want to go through.
“We have always a difficult draw, we had Fenerbahce last year, this time we have Besiktas. It’s difficult.”
Benitez inspiring Napoli
Meanwhile, Rafa Benitez is urging his Napoli team to plunder a positive result from their opening leg in Naples against Spanish Primera Liga side Athletic Bilbao.
Benitez’s Napoli are quickly improving on the European stage and were unlucky to miss out on a place in the last 16 of the Champions League last season, while Bilbao were Europa League final runners-up in 2012.
The manager has therefore warned his men against underestimating Tuesday night’s opponents. “We will face a great team and the second leg will be in an incredible [San Mames] stadium,” Benitez said.
“Athletic’s strongest weapon is the group, with players who have been together for many years and have the support of a city that never loses its passion.
“I respect Athletic Bilbao a great deal, but I trust my Napoli side.
“We have players who came in late from World Cup duty, like [Argentine striker] Gonzalo Higuain, and new players that have yet to adapt to the team but I’ve seen positive signs.”
French government official criticises Brandao
French secretary of state for sports Thierry Braillard on Monday dubbed as “scandalous” the butt Brazilian striker Brandao landed on Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Thiago Motta.
Brandao’s club, Bastia, said it “condemned without ambiguity” the player’s action.
PSG confirmed that Brazil-born Italy international Motta suffered a broken nose in an ugly clash with Brandao after Saturday's 2-0 win against SC Bastia.
Images from CCTV cameras in the tunnel at the Parc des Princes showed Brandao waiting for Motta to approach him before butting the Brazil-born Italy international at the end of the Ligue 1 game.
“Of course it merits a sanction,” Braillard told France Info, calling Brandao’s action “scandalous, unacceptable”.
Brandao, who was suspended for four matches last season for elbowing PSG’s Yohan Cabaye at the Parc des Princes while playing for Saint-Etienne, risks a lengthy suspension, while PSG president Nasser Al Khelaifi on Saturday called for a lifetime ban.
In a statement, Bastia said they “reserved the right to take further action in this matter”.
The Corsican club, with former PSG and France star Claude Makelele at the helm, said that it “also deplored the equally unacceptable behaviour of some players who didn’t stop insulting and provoking their opponents”.
The disciplinary committee of the Professional Football League (LFP) are set to examine the incident on Thursday.
To make matters worse for Brandao, PSG, the French champions, also confirmed that right back Gregory Van der Wiel suffered “a fracture of the second lumbar vertebra following a knee in the back from the Bastia player Brandao in the first half”.
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