Arsenal old boy Hleb back at the Emirates as BATE Borisov train ahead of second leg

The midfielder, 37, is in his FIFTH spell at BATE Borisov, tomorrow night's opponents, and took to the pitch for a light training session.


Hleb played 58 minutes in the first leg of their Round of 32 tie last week as his side produced a shock 1-0 victory thanks to Stanislav Dragun's header.

And the Belarusian legend will be desperate to get another one over his former employers by dumping them out of the competition tomorrow night.

He joined the Gunners from Stuttgart in 2005 and went on to make 89 Premier League appearances under Arsene Wenger, scoring seven goals.

He also played 85 minutes of the 2006 Champions League final before being replaced by Jose Antonio Reyes late on as Arsenal looked to find an equaliser.

Of course the Gunners lost to Barcelona that night and two years later, Hleb joined the Spanish giants.

He was limited to 19 LaLiga appearances over his four-year spell at the Nou Camp and even returned to the Premier League for the 2010/11 season to play for Birmingham, playing for the Blues at the Emirates in his first return.

Since leaving Barca in 2012, Hleb has played for Krylia Sovetov Samara, BATE Borisov, Konyaspor, Genclerbirligi, BATE Borisov again, Genclerbirligi again, BATE Borisov yet again, Krylia Sovetov Samara again and is now back at BATE Borisov.

He was pictured along with his latest set of team-mates in Burger King on Friday, the morning after they landed the surprise victory.

Alexandre Lacazette is suspended tomorrow night meaning Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is expected to lead the line for the Gunners, supported by Alex Iwobi and a returning Mesut Ozil.

Hleb, meanwhile, is expected to start as part of a three-man midfield once again with Dzmitry Baha and goalscorer Dragun.

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