ARSENAL defender Oleksandr Zinchenko hilariously told Chelsea’s Mykhailo Mudryk “I’ll rip your balls off” if he scores in their Premier League clash on Saturday.
Blues forward Mudryk, 22, scored Ukraine‘s third goal of the game in a 3-1 win over Malta on Tuesday evening.
Oleksandr Zinchenko hilariously warned Mykhailo Mudryk ahead of Chelsea vs Arsenal
EPAMudryk scored for Ukraine against Malta on Tuesday evening[/caption]
The victory sees them move three points clear of Italy in second place in Group C of their Euro 2024 qualifying group behind England.
And while they have played one game more than the Azzurri, it means they are in with a good chance of qualifying for next summer’s finals.
Zinchenko, 26, is the Ukraine captain and conducted a post-match interview following their win.
And he used it as an opportunity to send a jovial message to compatriot Mudryk as the pair prepare to face off against one another when Arsenal travel to Chelsea this weekend.
The Gunners left-back said: “I told [Mykhailo] Mudryk ‘If you score on Saturday, I’ll rip your balls off’.”
Mudryk bagged his first Chelsea goal in a 2-0 win over Fulham before the international break.
It ended a run of 23 scoreless games since arriving at Stamford Bridge in January in a deal worth up to £97million.
He was then dropped for the Blues’ trip to Burnley, coming off the bench late on in a 4-1 victory.
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The result at Turf Moor secured Chelsea’s first set of back-to-back wins under Mauricio Pochettino.
But they now head into a clash against an unbeaten Arsenal side that beat champions Manchester City last time out.
Chelsea have not beaten their London rivals at home in the Premier League since 2018, losing each of the last three.
Arsenal have also won six of their previous seven meetings against the Blues in all competitions.