Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has confirmed defender Laurent Koscielny will miss the Premier League clash against Liverpool.
The North London club travel to the Merseyside as the Gunners take on the Reds at Anfield on Sunday. The French international was out of action for close to two months and recently returned to action.
The Frenchman confirmed Koscielny joins Mesut Ozil, Aaron Ramsey, Jack Wilshere, Aaron Ramsey and Mikel Arteta on the sidelines.
” All out. They’re all progressing as planned,” Wenger told pre-match press conference on Friday.
Meanwhile, England international Theo Walcott could make his return against Liverpool after Wenger admitted that the forward could be fit to face Liverpool. He, along with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Nacho Monreal could be in contention for the weekend fixture.
“He is back in training today [Thursday]. But only today. I might take him, I don’t know yet until he’s back to full training. Let’s see,”
“There’s a slight chance of Monreal being available and a very slight chance for Walcott. We hope that Oxlade-Chamberlain will be fit. We’ll see that on Saturday.”
On Oxlade-Chamberlain, Wenger said: “That’s what we’ll see on Saturday after a test. He’s not in training at the moment.”
Liverpool are struggling in the Premier League this season. Irrespective of their form, the Gunners boss believes the clash between Arsenal and the Reds will be a “special game.”
“Yes, of course. There’s a special atmosphere,” Wenger said.
“I have a lot of respect for the crowd at Liverpool because they stand behind their team. I remember one day we were leading 5-1 at Liverpool and they were chanting ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’.
“It’s one of the few grounds in the world where you can see that. There’s a special combination of knowledge of the game at Liverpool and support for their team. I have a huge respect for that,” the Arsenal manager concluded.
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