"He has the quality to hurt them" - Emmanuel Petit warns Arsenal as he reserves special praise for 'dangerous' Lens star
Former Arsenal midfielder Emmanuel Petit has warned the Gunners about Elye Wahi's talent ahead of their UEFA Champions League clash against Lens later tonight (Wednesday, November 29).
Lens handed Mikel Arteta and Co. their first defeat of the season across all competitions in the reverse fixture on October 3, beating them 2-1. Adrien Thomasson (25') and Elye Wahi (69') were on target, while Gabriel Jesus (14') netted for the Gunners.
The French outfit will be looking to inflict similar damage against the north London outfit at the Emirates on Wednesday. The Gunners are currently at the summit of Group B with nine points from four games, having won three and lost one, four points above Lens.
Speaking about the upcoming clash, Petit told online betting website Lord Ping (via METRO):
"Lens had a great result at the weekend, beating Clermont Foot 0-3. They are starting to show the signs of the team that surprised so many people in France last season."
He added:
"If you listen to the Lens players, they all know how difficult it will be to come to London, but they have a chance to spring a surprise on Arsenal. They can play without pressure because nobody expects them to get anything from the match."
He stated that while Arsenal were hard to beat at home, Lens have the firepower to cause trouble, saying:
"Arsenal are very difficult to beat at home, but if they can play with the same spirit as they did in the opening group game, they can cause Arsenal problems. In football, if you have a chance, you have to take it."
Petit singled out Wahi as a player that could cause trouble for the Gunners, adding:
"Elye Wahi, the Lens striker, he scored at the weekend, and he is a really dangerous player. He is an individual that Arsenal will have to keep an eye on because he has the quality to hurt them."
Wahi has been in good form this season, scoring four goals and providing two assists in 15 appearances across all competitions.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta provides injury update on Fabio Vieira ahead of Lens clash
Mikel Arteta recently provided an injury update on Fabio Vieira ahead of his side's UEFA Champions League clash against Lens.
Vieira appeared to be finding his groove this season, netting two goals and registering four appearances in 14 appearances across all competitions. However, he appears to be out until January after undergoing surgery on a groin issue (via GOAL).
Arteta said (via Arsenal's official website):
"Yeah, we’ve got a problem with him. He’s been having some discomfort and we tried to have alternative treatment with him, and he wasn’t improving so we’ve sent him to see a specialist and that was to get an operation done in his groin, and we did that yesterday. We’re expecting him to be out for weeks now."
He added:
"We don’t expect him to do that [be back this side of the break], so let’s see how he evolves and obviously, the operation was done yesterday so we’re going to have to wait and see, but we will take it as it comes."
Vieira joins the likes of Jurrien Timber, Emile Smith Rowe, and Thomas Partey on the Gunners' injury list.