Simon Mignolet walked away a bit battered from the 4-1 victory over Leicester last weekend, but the Belgian goalkeeper should be fit enough to play against Chelsea on Friday night.
The 28-year-old had a somewhat bloody face and a busted nose come the end of the game, and even shared a picture of his facial injuries to Instagram, collaged next to one of Ivan Drago, Rocky Balboa’s famous Russian adversary.
He explained: “We’ve said enough times that goalkeepers should be protected more. The rules have changed, we’ll see if referees will abide to them. I follow the NFL closely, which is trying to pay more and more attention to head injuries.”
Despite all this, the Belgium international revealed he isn’t ready to start wearing a protective helmet like his Arsenal counterpart, Petr Cech.
He said: “No, but I know that games against Leicester with the likes of Huth and Morgan, Crystal Palace or West Brom, goalkeepers risk taking a few hits during aerial duels.”
With his black eye now gone down and the satisfaction of knowing he didn’t break his nose in a collision with Robert Huth, Mignolet can now look forward to facing the likes of David Luiz and Gary Cahill during Friday Night Football.