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Tuesday Ticker: UCL injuries mounting, Schalke turns back to Stevens and more

GervinhoWalcott (Reuters Pictures)

A day after Manchester United announced that both Wayne Rooney and Javier Hernandez won't be fit for Tuesday's UEFA Champions League match against FC Basel, Arsenal revealed it has some injury problems of its own.

Gervinho (hamstring), Theo Walcott (knee) and Laurent Koscielny (ankle) have all been ruled out for the Gunners' match against Olympiakos on Wednesday, joining a crew of teammates on the sidelines.

Long-term injuries have put Jack Wilshere and Thomas Vermaelen on the shelf, and Abou Diaby, Yossi Benayoun, Sebastien Squillaci and Johan Djourou are also dealing with injuries that will force Arsene Wenger to get a little creative with his lineup selection against the Greek champions.

Here are a few more stories from around the soccer world:

SCHALKE BRINGS BACK STEVENS

Schalke's coaching search has led the German club back to one of the best managers in club history.

Huub Stevens was named as the permanent replacement for Ralf Rangnick, who resigned from the post last week.

Stevens coached Schalke through a successful stretch from 1996-2002, where he helped guide the team to a UEFA Cup championship. The former Dutch international was most recently coaching Red Bull Salzburg before being ousted in the spring. His first game in his second stint with Schalke will be on Thursday in the UEFA Europa League.

BOATENG COMMENCES UCL TRASH TALK

Jerome Boateng bolted Manchester City for Bayern Munich after getting lost in the shuffle at the English club during its massive overhaul of talent.

Now that he's getting prepared to face many of his friends and former teammates in Tuesday's high-profile Champions League match, he's got some fighting words about City's chances of winning Europe's top prize.

"They're a huge squad and the team had no sense of togetherness," Boateng said to reporters. "I do not see them getting to the final because there are others (who are better). We have the better team."

QPR ESCAPES FA PUNISHMENT

Queens Park Rangers manager Neil Warnock and owner Tony Fernandes were both outspoken in criticizing the officials after QPR's 1-1 draw with Aston Villa over the weekend, but the duo has escaped punishment and instead received a warning letter from the Football Association.

Among the comments made was a tweet by Fernandes that called referee Michael Oliver "blind."

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Do you see Arsenal or Manchester United having a difficult time winning on Tuesday? How do you think Stevens' appointment changes things for Jermaine Jones at Schalke? Who do you see winning the City-Bayern Munich match? Think Warnock and/or Fernandes should have been punished for their comments?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. Switch over to this last ten minutes of Inter CSKA tie if you can. 3-2 to Inter right now. CSKA equalized then Inter hit back in a matter of seconds. Should be interesting!

    Reply
  2. There have been many stories about this lately, nothing is the matter. Its a combination of bad luck, with overscheduled players, and having a lot of national team players. Walcott is fit which is a boost and the Greek team would be a good chance to give the young players a chance anyways. Nothing major for any of the three mentioned.

    Reply
  3. Found a story in the local newspaper about Stevens’ first day on the job, and at the very bottom of the story it mentions Jones not playing under Rangnick and quotes Jones after the first practice with Stevens saying, I assume figuratively: “The sun is shining again.” Be nice to see him get some playing time again. Must be difficult pulling down 4 million euros a year for doing nothing. Here is a link to the story.

    http://www.derwesten.de/sport/fussball/s04/Schalke-stellt-Stevens-als-Trainer-vor-id5105569.html

    Reply
  4. “How do you think Stevens’ appointment changes things for Jermaine Jones at Schalke?”

    I was kinda hoping you guys could provide some analysis on that point. That’s why we come here after all.

    Reply

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