David Ospina Injury: Updates on Arsenal Keeper's Thigh and Return

Updates from Tuesday, Oct. 21

John Cross of the Mirror reports how long David Ospina is expected to be sidelined:

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David Ospina has been ruled out of Arsenal's Champions League tie with Anderlecht, meaning 22-year-old Emiliano Martinez will start in goal for the Gunners.

Ospina, who joined the north London club during the summer, is "definitely out," according to John Cross of the Mirror. With Wojciech Szczesny suspended after his red card against Galatasaray, it will be up to Martinez to keep the Belgian hosts at bay.

Kevin Palmer of the Sunday World confirmed the situation:

It must be noted, however, that fitness problems have kept Ospina out of the Arsenal squad for the last two Premier League matches against Chelsea and Hull. Martinez has appeared on the bench for both, per WhoScored.

The youngster joined Arsenal from Independiente in 2010, but he has enjoyed just two notable appearances in the senior team since then. He started the 6-1 League Cup win over Coventry City in 2012 and went on to play his second match for the club during the notable 7-5 victory over Reading in the same competition.

Aside from this, he has appeared on the bench a couple of times during emergency spells in the Premier League—such as the last couple of weeks—but has always remained Arsenal's third-choice keeper.

Ospina will certainly be irritated not to have made the team. The Colombian performed admirably at the World Cup, but has also been limited to cup competitions under Arsene Wenger. He played during the 2-1 Capital One Cup defeat to Southampton and then conceded from the penalty spot after coming on against Galatasaray.

Despite this, he has shown moments of class. Ospina is an instinctive, flamboyant goalkeeper. He is a quality shot stopper whose reactions are capable of getting his team out of trouble. Although not particularly dominant from crosses, Wenger snapped him up as a useful reinforcement after Lukasz Fabianski's move to Swansea was finalised.

Aside from his appearances at the World Cup, Ospina is relatively inexperienced for a 26-year-old of his quality. The match with Galatasaray was actually his Champions League debut, despite being on European shores since 2008.

Like Fabianski, it seems Ospina is destined to spend his Arsenal career sat on the bench behind Szczesny in the pecking order, a somewhat disappointing turn of events for a player who could contribute positively. Many forget Szczesny is only 24 years old. The Polish stopper has improved massively over the last couple of seasons and could potentially rule between Arsenal's sticks for the next decade.

It will be interesting to see how quickly a fully fit Ospina becomes frustrated with the lack of opportunities. He needs to find full fitness quickly or see his chances of contributing positively wane. Even so, considering the entire squad, Miguel Delaney of ESPN FC believes Wenger's side can't compete:

Arsenal must build on the Gala result with victory against Anderlecht, who have just one point from two matches in Group D. The home side will go above Arsenal with a win, however, making anything but a loss imperative for the English visitors.

Martinez's nerve will be tested—particularly as he averages three goals conceded per match in the first team—so his defenders must provide as much support as possible.

Considering youngster Calum Chambers is expected to start at centre-back, a seemingly winnable tie has no doubt become trickier and will test a number of developing squad members. Hector Bellerin could also start, per Cross, and will need to improve upon his performance during the loss to Borussia Dortmund.

Ospina's confirmed absence will provide Anderlecht with galvanised hope of a win, while Wenger will be looking to escape the Constant Vanden Stock Stadium with a point at the very least, considering the circumstances.