WENGER; ARSENAL WILL TARGET EUROPA LEAGUE IF..........

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger says his team will aim to win the Europa league if they fail to secure progress from the champions league group stages.

Arsenal are up against Dinamo Zagreb from Croatia but even a victory won't be enough if Olympiakos and Bayern Munich play draw in the group other fixture after three defeats in their opening four games.

If Arsenal fail to progress tonight they will most likely drop to the Europa League,a competition English teams hardly pay any serious attention to but Wenger believes all of that is in the past.

"We would take the competition seriously but we are not out yet.

"I believe that this problem is exaggerated a little bit in England because we play Wednesday and Saturday, so it is the same as Thursdayand Sunday,I can't see the difference".

He also dismissed suggestions that Bayern and Olympiakos could play out a draw at the Allianz Arena that would see both side qualify at Arsenal's expense.

TRANSFER NEWS ROUNDUP: ROONEY TO CHINA? AUBEMEYANG TO CHELSEA?

The Sun Newspaper carries an exclusive story claiming Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney is wanted in China in a big money move which they say might tempt the striker.

Daily Mirror also carried a rumour involving Manchester United by claiming the Old Trafford outfit are leading the chase for Barcelona want away defender Marc Batra.

The Old Trafford outfit are also reportedly keen on Fulham's 19 year old midfielder Moussa Dembele according to reports in France specifically Get France Football News who are also reporting Bayern Munich are also in for the midfielder.

Meanwhile the club's search for pace upfront might see them come back for Southampton's Sadio Mane in January when Manager Louis Van Gaal an admirer of the talents of the Senegalese who played a big role in Southampton's demolition of Manchester United this season according to ESPN.

Manchester United city rivals Manchester City are reportedly set to rekindle their interest in Real Madrid Isco who is unhappy over his peripheral role at the Santiago Bernabeu according to Daily Mirror.

English Premiership defending Champions Chelsea are reportedly quietly confident of landing West Bromwich Albion forward Saido Berahino who still wants out of the Hawthorns after a failed move to Spurs in the summer  according to ESPN although Fichajes.net are speculating they are also weighing up a 24 million pounds ove for Borrusia Dortmund forward Pierre Emerick Aubemeyang which will see six players departing in January.

However Willian the Brazilian is set to be offered a new pay package worth over a 100,000 pounds a week owing to his fine form this season according to London Evening Standard.

COQUELIN OUT FOR TWO MONTHS

Arsenal face the prospect of losing Francis Coquelin for several months after the defensive midfielder suffered knee ligament damage in the 2-1 defeat by West Bromwich Albion, adding to their concerning injury crisis in a pivotal week for the club.

The Gunners could crash out of the Champions League in Tuesday if they fail to beat Dinamo Zagreb or results elsewhere in the group go against them, and they need to get back to winning ways in the Premier League next weekend when they take on Norwich if they are to keep pace with the Premier League leaders.

However, they will do so without the services of 24-year-old Coquelin, after he limped out of Saturday’s defeat early in the first-half. Coquelin will have a scan on the injury on Monday afternoon, and manager Arsene Wenger confirmed he is out for "at least two months" when he addressed media this afternoon, adding that it could be more but he "does not want to speculate" until he has seen the results of the scan.

It’s believed that Coquelin’s scans have revealed extensive ligament damage and he is expected to be ruled out for the remainder of 2015, joining Danny Welbeck and Tomas Rosicky on the long-term casualties list.

10 Talking Points From Barcelona Mauling Of Real Madrid

Is Benitez's job on the line? Should Perez resign? How good are Neymar and Suarez? All the talking points from Barça's win over Madrid are right here

NEYMAR-SUAREZ

Barcelona’s goalscoring duo were once again the difference. Luis Suarez (2) and Neymar (1) demonstrated that they are in an exceptional moment of form. The Brazilian (with 12 goals) leads the Pichichi in La Liga, but he is closely followed by the Uruguayan (who has 11). They’ve combined to excellent effect to make up for the absence of Lionel Messi. 

BBC

Madrid’s trident was a shipwreck. Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema wandered around the pitch and had very little significance on the game. Cristiano, despite not scoring, was the best of the three. But he ended up being jeered by his own fans. It looks like the Portuguese forward’s days Madrid are numbered — as are Benzema’s. 

SERGI ROBERTO 

The growth of Sergi Roberto has been spectacular. Since earning Luis Enrique’s confidence, first as a right-back, he has become an indispensable part of the team. He started at the Bernabeu despite predictions that he would’t. He shone, too, and produced a great pass for Suarez’s first goal. 

CLAUDIO BRAVO 

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Masterful. Barça would still have won without Claudio Bravo’s interventions, but he made several top quality saves, especially in the second half which prevented Madrid getting back into the game. He is, without doubt, Barça’s best goalkeeper at the moment - there’s no discussion to be had about that. 

RAFA BENITEZ 

Outpaced. Sunk. The Real Madrid manager was humiliated in all senses. If his job was on the line before the Clasico, the hammering suffered against Barça has him hanging by a threat. The white handkerchiefs and the chants of ‘Jose Mourinho, Jose Mourinho’ will be following him around for the next few weeks. He’s not going to have much peace. 

LUIS ENRIQUE

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The Asturian coach got things right with his line-up. The best possible side without Messi on the pitch. The 4-4-2 allowed his side a numerical advantage in the middle of the pitch and Barcelona totally dominated the game. Just like Guardiola, Lucho now has a result for the history books. 

LIONEL MESSI

Curiously, he had a secondary role in the Clasico. He came on in the second half when the game was already decided (0-3). Luis Enrique preferred not to risk him and left him on the bench after his knee ligament injury. Good decision. The Argentine crack has a lot games ahead of him. It’s excellent news for Barça that they didn’t need him.

FLORENTINO PEREZ

Destroyed. Experience first hand the humiliation of his side next to the Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy. The Bernabeu even asked for their president to resign. He won’t resign, of course, but his umpteenth project once again crashed against Barça’s superiority. 

ANDRES INIESTA 

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As captain, he was the leader in the middle. The Manchego scored the third goal with a wicked shot from just inside the area. He left the pitch to an ovation from the Madrid fans — just like Ronaldinho 10 years ago. Luis Enrique defined him well at the end of the game: “He is a part of world heritage.”

GERARD PIQUE

He was definitely turned on. Very turned on. Despite one early error, he grew as the game went on. In fact, by the end he was even serving as another forward. He wanted to score the fifth goal. He tried to do so in every way possible, but the goal didn’t arrive. However, he was still just as happy at the Bernabeu to win by four.    

Culled from Sports.

WHY IHEANACHO IS WEARING NUMBER 72 AT MANCHESTER CITY

Nigeria teen forward Kelechi Iheanacho who wears jersey number 72 at Manchester City and scored the winning goal for the team in their 1-0 win has been praised and spoken about at length after that goal.

However one part that has been omitted by the media concerns his choice of jersey number 72 as against his preferred number 9 jersey which is presently vacant.

It would be recalled while playing for the team Elite squad last season the Nigerian wore the number 9 shirt in all of the games he featured for the team.

An explanation from Mowizsoccer has it that in English Football the jersey number 9 at senior level has to be earned and the Nigerian a low key signing is into his first season with the team and is yet to prove he deserves the shirt.

On his part the Nigerian made up for the fact that he can't get his favourite number by adding 7+2 = 9 which gives him nine hence his choice of number 72.

He is not the first to have done same as Ivan Zamorano while at Inter Milan once wore 1+8 which gives you 9 mathematically after losing his favourite shirt to Ronaldo De Lima.

NIGERIA UNDER-23 DEFENDER MOVES TO PORTUGAL

The left full back of the Nigeria Under-23 team Stanley Amuzie secured a last minute move tom Olhanense of Portugal on the eve of the transfer window from Italian Serie A side Sampdoria.

Details of his move to Portugal are still sketchy with some reports suggesting Sampdoria pulled out of a pre contract agreement to sign the full back after he picked up a serious injury that might rule him out for the foreseeable future.

However a close source of the player differed by saying it's a loan move to the second division team in Portugal where he is expected to get gametime after he makes full recovery from the injury he sustained during Nigeria's Rio 2016 Olympic qualifier game against Congo in Pointe Noire.

Mowizsoccer scoop from the media in Portugal that Olhanense have an exchange relationship with Sampdoria hence the transfer of the Nigerian was done with the option of bringing him back base on performances as him alongside Mancone Soriano Mane were transferred to the club.

The  former Flying Sports of Lagos player will bring to two the number of Nigerian players at the club as Femi Balogun is presently on the books of the Portuguese second division team who were relegated last season from the top flight despite having Christian Obodo an ex Nigeria international of Nigeria who have played in six different teams in Europe,the highpoint was at Udinese.

OGUDE HANDED 3 MATCH BAN BY RUSSIA FA

Out of favour Super Eagles midfielder Fengor Ogude have being handed a three match ban by the Russian FA for throwing a ball at an opponent during his team Amkar Perm 1-0 loss to Rostov.

The 28 year old was giving his marching orders in the 58th minute for throwing the ball in Timofey Kalachev face after a foul went against him.

Ogude after a disciplinary hearing have now being handed a ban that will see him miss his team next three games when the league resumes after the international break.

His reputation of being a bad boy went against him as last season he picked up nine yellow cards and a red and already this season he has two yellow cards before his sending off.