Arsenal playing it safe by leaving out Mkhitaryan, says Qarabag boss

QARABAG head coach Gurban Gurbanov believes Arsenal have “saved” Henrikh Mkhitaryan from the pressure of playing in front of a large crowd in Azerbaijan by leaving the forward at home.

Diplomatic tensions exist between Azerbaijan and Mkhitaryan’s native Armenia following a long-standing conflict over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh territory.

Mkhitaryan did not travel to face Azerbaijan Premier League side Gabala while with Borussia Dortmund in 2015, although he was told by Uefa that he would be granted a visa if he wished to make the journey.

A similar situation has occurred this time round, and it is understood the 29-year old will remain in London.

Speaking on the eve of the contest, Gurbanov, who also manages the Azerbaijan national team, explained why he feels Mkhitaryan will not be playing tonight.

“I didn’t want politics to interrupt the sport but we could not do anything on this issue,” he said.

“Arsenal tried to save this player but it is not a matter for us if he is coming or not. If Henrikh Mkhitaryan would come to Azerbaijan it is not the first time, but until now a lot of Armenian sportsmen came to Azerbaijan but it is the choice of Arsenal that they didn’t send him.

“Arsenal may be afraid that in front of 60,000 Azerbaijani fans, Mkhitaryan will feel pressure.”

Qarabag have been the team to beat in Azerbaijan in recent years, lifting the league title for the last five seasons.

But they have struggled in European competition, as their record against English opposition suggests.

Tottenham faced Qarabag in the Europa League in 2015, winning 1-0 in Baku before securing a 3-1 victory at White Hart Lane.

Last season, Gurbanov’s side were drawn in the same Champions League group as Chelsea and suffered a 4-0 home defeat and a 6-0 thrashing at Stamford Bridge.

“We are against one of the best squads in England and the Premier League is one of the best five leagues,” added Gurbanov.

“I have mentioned the big teams that come to Azerbaijan and it is good for the image of Azerbaijan and Azerbaijani football.

“Our fans pay great attention to those types of games, we have lots of fans and in the future there will be more fans of Azerbaijan football. We want to win.” Big aims: Gurban Gurbanov is dreaming of a major upset ASTON Villa are looking for their fifth permanent manager in less than five years after Steve Bruce and his coaching staff were sacked.

Villa are currently 12th in the Sky Bet Championship after winning just three of their first 11 league games this season.

Bruce had come under increasing pressure after Villa’s poor start to the season and had a cabbage hurled at him during Tuesday night’s home draw with Preston.

“Aston Villa Football Club can confirm that manager Steve Bruce and his assistants are leaving their posts with immediate effect after having their contracts terminated,” the club said.

“The process to appoint a new manager is under way.”

A further statement added: “We would like to place on record our gratitude to Steve and his team for their hard work and commitment. We wish them well for the future.

“The process of recruiting a new manager has begun. In the meantime, Kevin MacDonald, Aston Villa Under-23s manager, will be in charge of the team for our trip to Millwall on Saturday.”

Bruce, who has won promotion to the Premier League with two different clubs — Birmingham and Hull — replaced Roberto di Matteo at Villa Park in October 2016.

Among the early names linked with the job are Thierry Henry, who investors Wes Edens and Nassef Sawiris reportedly wanted in the summer, Brentford manager Dean Smith, former Inter Milan boss Andrea Stramaccioni, Claudio Ranieri and Shakhtar Donetsk boss Paulo Fonseca.

Bruce guided Villa to the playoff final last season, but they were beaten and the club’s failure to return to the top flight left them financially vulnerable.

Bruce’s squad was boosted with the arrival of forwards Tammy Abraham and Yannick Bolasie on loan from Chelsea and Everton respectively.

But a summer of upheaval appears to have taken its toll and, despite winning their first two league matches, Bruce’s side fell off the pace, with last month’s victory over Rotherham the only win in their last 10 games.