RED NOT DEAD
Why is William Saliba not suspended for Arsenal’s Champions League match tonight against Shakhtar Donetsk?
The explanation behind why William Saliba is playing tonight
ARSENAL fans had been preparing themselves for life without William Saliba following his red card against Bournemouth - but he is available for selection TONIGHT!
The French phenomenon earned his first-ever sending-off after VAR intervened and upgraded an initial yellow card to a red.
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And in normal procedures, Saliba would be suspended for the next match on the fixture list.
However, the highly-rated centre-half is part of the squad for Arsenal's home fixture tonight due to rules and regulations.
SunSport can explain what this is below.
Why is William Saliba not suspended for Arsenal's Champions League match tonight?
William Saliba is eligible to play for Arsenal tonight as his suspension is for domestic competitions only.
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And with this upcoming fixture being a European encounter, the Frenchman will be able to partner alongside Gabriel once again.
Saliba became the third Arsenal player to see red in eight Premier League matches for the Gunners this season.
Declan Rice was sent off against Brighton while Leandro Trossard received a red in the frenetic Manchester City clash.
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Why did William Saliba get sent off?
The Frenchman was initially booked for pulling back Bournemouth striker Evanilson.
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Saliba attempted to stop the Brazilian who was ready to burst completely clear mid-pitch.
VAR Jared Gillett summoned on-pitch ref Rob Jones to the monitor.
And after looking, Jones had no doubts as he waved a red to reduce the Gunners to 10 men.
How many matches will William Saliba miss for Arsenal?
Fortunately for Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta, William Saliba will miss just ONE game.
Had it been violent conduct, he would have been suspended for three matches.
However, that one match is against red-hot Liverpool this coming weekend at the Emirates.
What has been said?
Mikel Arteta highlighted that his side playing with ten men is always a problem.
"Playing with 10 men always is an issue.
"The trust is, when you analyse it, three different very actions and the outcome of them, the reasons are very different.
"Regardless of that we cannot continue to play with 10 men at this level. We need to eradicate that, it's clear."
Arteta added: "The reasons, how; it doesn't matter. We have to focus.
"We cannot continue to play with ten men, easier to say it then to get it done," he said.
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"Specific moments. Reacting, we have a defeat. Very specific conditions as well."
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