Outcast Arsenal striker must take rare chance to shine
Published:
With Arsenal struck down by an autumn injury crisis, Arsene Wenger will almost certainly be forced into giving rarely seen striker Joel Campbell a first Premier League start at Swansea.
Arsenal lost more than a shot at glory when dumped out of the Capital One Cup in midweek as England forwards Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Theo Walcott both picked up muscle injuries which will see them sidelined for a number of weeks.
The pair join the likes of Danny Welbeck and Aaron Ramsey on the sidelines for the Gunners, leaving Arsene Wenger little choice but to turn to Campbell.
In the build up to the game, Arsenal’s boss admitted it’s “now or never” for the enigmatic Costa Rican forward who has never started in the top-flight, despite actually signing for the club way back in 2011.
Campbell has famously been loaned out to France, Spain and Greece, where his career highlight to date was arguably scoring against Manchester United for Olympiacos in the Champions League.
However, his chances at Arsenal have been extremely limited and Wenger’s words will be ringing in his ears as he crosses the white line at the Liberty Stadium.
This is a very unexpected opportunity for Campbell, who was some way down the pecking order at the Emirates Stadium before the latest spate of injuries.
It’s straight into the frying pan as well because Arsenal’s recent record against Swansea is particularly poor – with the Welsh club doing the double over the Gunners last season.
Campbell is an 21/10 shot to grab his first goal for the North Londoners, while Arsenal are 3/4 favourites give they’ve recorded four straight Premier League victories.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
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