Arsenal’s Henrikh Mkhitaryan is doubtful for the club’s Azerbaijan trip for Thursday’s Europa League fixture against Qarabag.
This is not a result of injury concerns but of continuous tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed Nagorno Karabakh region.
After the draws were made last month, Arsenal said: “Safety and security of all our players and staff is always a top priority.
We will be looking into this situation, talk to the player and make a decision after that.” but are yet to affirm his availability or absence for the match.
It will be recalled that Mkhitaryan did not travel with Borussia Dortmund to play Gabala in the Europa League in 2015 for the same reason.
Arsenal won their opening fixture of the competition against Ukranian side, Vorskla. Should Arsenal go all the way to the final, Mkhitaryan may also miss the final of the competition as the Olympic Stadium in the capital city Baku will host the final of this season’s Europa League.
Image Credit: Evening Standard
