Olivier Giroud injured his knee in the latter stages of Arsenal’s 3-1 win at Sunderland this Saturday. Their previously jubilant mood of a third straight league victory quickly turned into a potential calamity when Giroud lay on the grass, clutching his knee in pain.
The striker found the back of the net for Arsenal’s opener, much like he did in all previous 3 league matches. He is Arsenal’s and the league’s leading goal scorer with 4 goals in 4 games, and is currently unplayable. His goals have seen Arsenal rise to near the top of the league table. The Gunners are currently in 2nd only 1 point behind Liverpool who tied 2-2 with Swansea City on Monday night when the Merseysiders were lucky not to lose as the Welsh club played a great game by all accounts.
The Gunners face a daunting trip to Marseille on Wednesday night as the UEFA Champions League kicks off for this season. Arsenal will want to gain as many points as possible in this Group of Death which also includes Napoli and previous season’s runners up, Borussia Dortmund.
They would hence want their in-form front man available to fire in the goals and get them off to a winning start in the group. There were real fears when Giroud got injured against Sunderland, much to the shock of Arsenal fans, given the fact that the likes of first-team players Santi Cazorla, Lukas Podolski, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Mikel Arteta are already on the treatment table.
Those fears have now been lessened as Giroud revealed that his injury is not as bad as previously thought. Daily Mail report him as saying, “It is not bad actually, not as bad as I first feared. I got a kick earlier in the game but no-one was near me when I did it this time.”
“I tried to connect with the ball a little bit too early and I caught my foot in the grass. I twisted my ankle but fortunately, it is nothing major.
“I am OK, sure I will be fine [for Marseille].”
This news will be welcome for Arsenal fans who will receive a welcome boost ahead of their crunch clash at Marseille. Do you think that Giroud’s fine goal scoring form will continue in the Champions League?