XHAKA BANNED FOR TWO GAMES

Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka will miss the next two games on the domestic scene after his sending off against Liverpool in their Carabao Cup semi-final first leg at Anfield on Thursday.

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Xhaka was sent off shortly after the midway point of the first half for denying a goalscoring opportunity. The Swiss international was given his marching orders for a foul on Liverpool attacker Diogo Jota who was through on goal. The ex-Borussia Moenchengladbach star hit Jota with a boot in his stomach while his eyes was on a long ball out of the Liverpool defence from Scotland national team skipper Andy Robertson.

At the time of the Granit Xhaka red card, there was lack of clarity on why he was sent off. It has now been confirmed that he was expelled from the game for denying a goalscoring opportunity and not for violent conduct.

Xhaka collected his second red card of the season on the domestic scene against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup meaning that he will miss an extra game plus the one for his latest red card. The Swiss national team captain would have missed four games if he was sent off for violent conduct. The Arsenal midfielder will miss just two games after he was dismissed for stopping a goalscoring opportunity. To this effect, Xhaka will miss the North London Derby clash at Tottenham Hotspur in the league this weekend as well as the second leg of the Carabao Cup clash with Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium on Thursday.

Swiss star Xhaka has a reputation for collecting red cards. He has nine red cards in the colours of Arsenal since his transfer from German team Borussia Moenchengladbach in the summer of 2016. His first red card this season came in the third league game of the season at the home of champions Manchester City.