Gyokeres replacement sends Arsenal warning
Sporting have already found their Gyokeres replacement, and Luis Suarez’s message before the first leg is clear.Photo by Gualter Fatia/Getty ImagesLuis Suarez has said Sporting CP will face Arsenal ...
Gyokeres replacement sends Arsenal warning Sporting have already found their Gyokeres replacement, and Luis Suarez’s message before the first leg is clear. Photo by Gualter Fatia/Getty Images Luis Suarez has said Sporting CP will face Arsenal “without fear” in Tuesday’s Champions League quarter-final first leg, as the striker prepares to lead the Portuguese side in a tie that they hope will demonstrate how well they have coped since losing Viktor Gyokeres to the Gunners. When Arsenal signed Gyokeres from Sporting in the summer, they took a forward who had delivered 97 goals and 28 assists in 102 games, leaving his old club with a sizeable gap to fill.
Suarez, signed from Almeria for €22. 95m, has since scored 33 goals with seven assists in 42 games for the 10th club of his career. Set to return to the starting XI after being rested against Santa Clara on Friday, ahead of Arsenal’s visit to Alvalade, the Colombian has made clear he is not daunted by the challenge in front of him.
“We’re not afraid of anyone,” he said . “We respect all our opponents, but we don’t fear any of them. ” Photo by Octavio Passos/Getty Images He was then asked about the task of replacing Gyokeres.
“For any player to take Viktor’s place is a major challenge – I can even say it’s the most exciting of my career – and I feel I’m responding well,” he said. The 28-year-old also suggested he is better equipped now for the demands of such occasions, even with the risk that a booking would rule him out of the second leg in London. “I believe I’ve evolved a lot and can stay calmer,” he said.