Arsenal Team News: Wenger Confirms Duo Could Miss FA Cup Tie + Ozil Update

Arsenal will be looking to put another turbulent week behind them when we welcome Lincoln City to the Emirates in the quarter finals of the FA Cup on Saturday.

Ahead of the game, Arsene Wenger has been speaking to the media at his pre-match press conference this morning and he’s given Arsenal.com a team news and injury update.

The boss confirmed that Danny Welbeck and Alex Iwobi are doubts for the game this weekend after missing Tuesday night’s defeat to Bayern Munich due to sickness.

Welbeck was initially named in the starting eleven to face Bayern but was withdrawn shortly before kick off after feeling unwell during the warm-up so Olivier Giroud took his place up front.

Iwobi was ruled out of the Champions League last-16 tie earlier in the day after calling in sick and both he and Welbeck are now facing a race against time to recover for the Lincoln tie.

Mesut Ozil was a late replacement for Iwobi in the squad against Bayern and he was a second half substitute despite still not feeling 100% following a week on the sidelines through illness.

Wenger says Ozil still felt unwell after the game on Tuesday so he’ll have to wait to see how the playmaker responds in training before a decision is made over his involvement against Lincoln.

The boss admitted that with three players suffering from illness in recent days there could be a sickness bug going around the club but he gave little away on his possible team selection this weekend.

Wenger told the clubs website:

on the latest team news…
I believe that we have two uncertainties: Welbeck, who had to come off after the warm-up against Bayern due to sickness, and Iwobi, who on the day of the game couldn’t turn up as well due to the same problem. Everyone else should be available.

on Mesut Ozil…
I haven’t decided yet, he still felt not too well after the game. I will see in training how he feels and I haven’t decided on the team that will start the game on Saturday.

on rotating his squad…
I have always decided to play the team that has a good chance to qualify, and I will continue to do that of course.

on whether there is a sickness bug…
It is possible, yes. We have a little problem on that front. I don’t know if it is a bug or not. they called me on the morning of the game and said Iwobi cannot play and Welbeck at 5pm in the afternoon felt sick. We still tried to play him but it could be a bug, I don’t know.

We’ll have to wait and see whether Ozil, Welbeck and Iwobi are passed fit to face Lincoln on Saturday but even if they’re ruled out we should still have way too much for the non-league side at the Emirates.