"Needs to be replaced" "Man plays 2 games and is out for 5" - Arsenal fans fume as summer signing misses out on matchday squad yet again due to injury

Arsenal fans have taken to social media to express their frustration as Oleksandr Zinchenko misses out on a place in the Gunners' matchday squad once again.

Southampton will entertain north London giants Arsenal at St. Mary's in the Premier League today. The two teams have had contrasting starts to their 2022-23 campaigns so far.

The Saints sit 15th in the league table with 11 points from as many games and are just three points above bottom-placed Leicester City. The Gunners, on the other hand, are placed first in the standings.

Mikel Arteta's side have 27 points to their name, having won nine and lost one of their 10 matches so far. They will look to increase their lead with second-placed Manchester City to four points by beating Southampton this afternoon.

With less than an hour to go until kick-off, Arsenal have named their starting lineup for the match. Arteta has made no changes to the team that beat Leeds United 1-0 in the league last weekend.

However, Zinchenko has once again missed out on a place in the north London giants' matchday squad once again. He has struggled with injuries since joining them from Manchester City on a £32 million deal in the summer.

Zinchenko took little to no time to establish himself as Arteta's first-choice left-back. The Ukrainian, though, has already missed eight matches in all competitions due to injuries.

How are Arsenal's opponents Southampton lining up?

Southampton put an end to their five-match winless run with a narrow 1-0 victory over AFC Bournemouth on Wednesday (October 19). Ralph Hasenhuttl has thus named a largely similar starting lineup for the match against Arsenal.

The Saints have made just three changes to the team that beat Bournemouth last week. Lyanco has come into the lineup in place of Kyle Walker-Peters, who suffered an injury against the Cherries.

Che Adams has dropped to the bench despite scoring the winner against Bournemouth, with Stuart Armstrong taking his place. Meanwhile, Ibrahima Diallo has replaced Ainsley Maitland-Niles in midfield.

It now remains to be seen if they can follow up their win against Bournemouth by causing an upset against the league leaders.

About the author

Dakir is a European and Indian football journalist at Sportskeeda with an overall experience of 10 years. Holding a Master’s degree in Journalism & Mass Communication, and currently pursuing Master’s in Sports Journalism from Sheffield Hallam University, he is a seasoned football journalist who has interviewed the likes of former Liverpool star John Arne Riise, covered the entire 2022-23 Indian Super League season of the Kerala Blasters, and has delivered a seminar at an international conference held by St. Albert's College, Ernakulam.

Thanks to his extensive academic background in journalism, Dakir understands the importance of accuracy and spends a significant amount of time researching the subject. In today’s data-driven world of football, where players are perceived as machines, he prides himself amplify the voices of the people that make football the beautiful game that it is.

He started following football in 2013, and more specifically, Brendan Rodgers’ Liverpool, and admires Jurgen Klopp for his untouched charisma and unmatched legacy. A perpetual underdog supporter, he is a fan of under-fire Reds forward Darwin Nunez and can’t wait for him to show the world what he truly is. Trent Alexander-Arnold’s iconic “corner taken quickly” corner assist for Divock Origi in Liverpool’s 4-0 UCL semifinal win over Barcelona left a lasting impact on him.

When not writing, Dakir enjoys indulging in his guilty pleasure - watching mass commercial movies.

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