In a convenient turn of events for Arsenal, the France international’s three-match ban will be put on hold until Sunday 27th October, as the Gunners are in UEFA Champions League action first.
As you may already know, any suspension for a red card in domestic action – so the Premier League, FA Cup or League Cup – only needs to be served in domestic games.
Conversely, any straight red card received in a European fixture is only applicable to the next three European outings, and does not apply domestically.
Therefore, Saliba, who is now rated above Virgil van Dijk, will be able to play in Arsenal’s next game despite his red card on Saturday, due to the fact it comes against Shakhtar Donetsk in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday.
Mikel Arteta must use the Frenchman
Arteta may be tempted to leave Saliba out against the Ukrainian giants on Tuesday, as the Spaniard prepares to be without his No.2 for three domestic games, starting against Liverpool on Sunday.
The 42-year-old might prefer to give whoever replaces the Frenchman, potentially Jakub Kiwior, a start in order to help them acclimate to life in the starting XI before Sunday’s clash against Liverpool.
However, we feel Arteta has to start Saliba – who Real Madrid want to sign – purely to keep the defender as match fit and fresh as possible for the long run, given he fact he will be sat twiddling his thumbs for three games soon, meaning rustiness and potential injuries could then creep in when he returns to action.
