Arsenal are facing a huge crisis here and are facing a nervous wait to discover the extent of Francis Coquelin’s knee injury.
Coquelin damaged his ligament against West Brom and could face a lengthy spell on the sidelines.
According to reports from L’Equipe (via Get French Football) the Arsenal holding midfielder will “most probably” miss three months through injury.
Coquelin has been an integral part of Arsenal’s side this season, and his absence will serve as a huge blow before Arsenal’s must win game against Dynamo Zagreb on Tuesday night.
With as many as eight key players missing for the Gunners through injuries, Arsene Wenger is now facing a huge challenge to pick his best XI against the Croatian side.
Both Aaron Ramsey and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are unlikely to face the Croatian side, while Spanish midfielder Mikel Arteta has been ruled out as well, after he picked up a calf problem on Saturday.
“It looks difficult to have players to come back,” Wenger said as quoted by The Times. “I can rotate a bit within the squad but Ramsey will be short [of fitness] and Chamberlain will be short — and they’re the two closest.
“It is a difficult moment. In the past two games we’ve taken one point from six and that is very difficult and very disappointing when you’re on such a great run. We have to come back quickly and focus.”
List of Arsenal injuries (taken from The Times)
Mikel Arteta (calf): Could miss next three weeks after limping out of West Brom defeat
Francis Coquelin (knee): Expected to be out for three weeks (as per The Times, but as we reported earlier, the French media expects the injury to be more serious and in that case would rile him out for three months)
Theo Walcott (calf): Expected to return in a fortnight
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (hamstring): Making progress but tomorrow expected to be too soon
Aaron Ramsey (hamstring): Close to return but not to Dynamo
Tomas Rosicky (knee): Expected to return in five weeks
Jack Wilshere (ankle): Expected to return in six weeks
Danny Welbeck (knee): Expected to return in six weeks
It seems Mathieu Flamini is likely to start in the holding midfield role, having replaced Arteta at the Hawthorns.
The Gunners are in precarious position in the Champions League, lying 3rd in Group F with three points, and anything less than a victory will end their hopes of qualifying for the knockout stages for the 16th year in succession.
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