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Two Arsenal fans wearing shirts sporting the name of Henrikh Mkhitaryan were stopped by police in Baku ahead of the Europa League final,

Mkhitaryan has not travelled with the Gunners squad amid ongoing political tensions between his native Armenia and Azerbaijan, The Daily Mirror reports.

The former Manchester United midfielder felt his safety was at risk and will be watching form afar as his teammates bid for glory against Chelsea on Wednesday evening.

The Arsenal-supporting duo, walking down the street in Baku, were stopped by a police officer who then spoke into his walkie-talkie.

He then allowed them on the way, with the fans looking bemused by the incident.

It is the second time Arsenal have played in Azerbaijan this season after their group-stage clash against FK Qarabag.

Mkhitaryan was also absent for that fixture, and would have been certain to at least feature on Unai Emery's bench for the match against Chelsea.

Goalkeeper Bernd Leno, who will deputise for Arsenal's cup shot-stopper Petr Cech in his final professional appearance in Baku, slammed UEFA over the handling of the Mkhitaryan scenario.

"It's a scandal that he cannot play because of that, he works hard all season and cannot come to such a final for political reasons," he told Kicker.

Arsenal will earn a place in next season's Champions League with victory, which would mark their second European success after the 1994 Cup Winners' Cup.

.#Mkhitaryan #Arsenal #EuropaLeague #Baku #Chelsea #aubameyang pic.twitter.com/a1CIuXOo9L

— sntv (@sntvstory) May 28, 2019