Chelsea forward Pedro Rodriguez has returned to training in a facial mask, weeks after getting clattered by Arsenal goalkeeper David Ospina in a pre-season friendly.
In Arsenal’s most disappointing pre-season friendly, a 3-0 loss to Chelsea in China, the only consolation for supporters was that they got some revenge on the Blues for an incident earlier in the year.
When Arsenal played Chelsea at Stamford Bridge last season, one of the big talking points was a Marcos Alonso goal that he scored by elbowing Hector Bellerín out of the way, leaving the Spaniard with a concussion.
Rather than showing any concern for the player, pundits and Chelsea fans alike claimed that Alonso just “wanted it more”, and that Bellerín’s exit from the game was cowardly.
So when Ospina returned the favour in the form of a punch to the face of winger Pedro, Arsenal fans found it hard to show any sympathy. In fact, they took great pleasure in telling the Chelsea fans who wanted it more this time.
Unfortunately for Pedro, he was left with multiple facial fractures, and missed a couple of weeks of pre-season as a result. But the 30-year-old is now back, in a mask, just in time for round three on Sunday.
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With the Metro reporting that Eden Hazard is still recovering from an ankle injury, Pedro will likely be involved. Victor Moses is also suspended thanks to his ridiculous FA Cup final dive, so the starting eleven will have at least a couple of changes.