Striker suspended for Arsenal game due to biting incident

Preston North End striker Milutin Osmajic has been suspended for the League Cup game against Arsenal after his club failed to reduce his ban to four games.

Sky Sports News confirms that Preston North End's Milutin Osmajic has been banned for eight games for biting Blackburn Rovers' Owen Beck.

Osmajic had accepted an FA charge of violent behavior but Preston hoped he would only receive a four-match ban. If that had happened, he would have been able to return just in time to face Arsenal.

However, that always seemed like a long shot as Luis Suarez had previously been banned for 10 games following his scathing offense against Branislav Ivanovic.

Perhaps this offense would have deserved a slightly lighter ban than Suarez. Although the biting action was very similar, Osmajic reacted to an attack from Beck with a red card, while Suarez reacted to a tackle.

At the very least, Osmajic could claim that Beck instigated the incident by kicking out one of Osmajic's teammates. It would have been difficult for Suarez to make a similar claim.

Suarez had also already been banned for biting during his time at Ajax, so he had a history of this.

But Preston's hope of a four-game ban was always extremely optimistic, and eight games seems to be the bare minimum for this type of offense.

There is now no doubt that Osmajic will miss Preston's upcoming League Cup game against Arsenal, which will be the fifth of his eight games in which he has been sidelined.

The 25-year-old had scored five goals in ten games this season, including three in three in the League Cup. He also scored twice in Preston's extended penalty shootout against Fulham, setting up the draw against Arsenal.