Arsenal Without 6 Players For Burnley Game, Key Man Also Ruled Out Of Liverpool Trip

Arsenal have been dealt a major blow as Hector Bellerin has been ruled out for at least two weeks with a calf injury as Unai Emery’s injury problems continues to mount.

Bellerin was forced off during Arsenal’s 3-2 defeat to Southampton last Sunday after suffering a calf problem shortly before half time and he sat out the Carabao Cup defeat to Tottenham in midweek.

Arsenal have now confirmed that Bellerin won’t be back in full training for at least two weeks meaning he’ll miss the games against Burnley and Brighton either side of Christmas. The Spaniard will also sit out the crucial trip to Anfield to take on Liverpool while the home clash with Fulham on New Year’s Day will also come too soon for the full-back.

In a double blow for Emery, Shkodran Mustafi will miss the Burnley game tomorrow as he continues to recover from a hamstring injury but the centre-back should return to full training next week so may feature when Arsenal take on Brighton on Boxing Day.

Sead Kolasinac remains a doubt this weekend due to a thigh injury that he picked up earlier this month while Henrikh Mkhitaryan also needs to be assessed by Arsenal after suffering an ankle injury against Spurs on Wednesday night.

With Emile Smith Rowe, Dinos Mavropanos, Danny Welbeck and Rob Holding all on the sidelines, it means Arsenal will be without at least 6 players for the visit of Burnley tomorrow afternoon.

A team news update on Arsenal.com confirmed:

Sead Kolasinac
Right thigh. Being assessed ahead of Burnley (h) on Saturday, December 22.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan
Right ankle. Being assessed ahead of Burnley (h) on Saturday, December 22.

Shkodran Mustafi
Right hamstring. Expected to return to full training next week.

Hector Bellerin
Left calf. Expected to return to full training in two weeks.

Emile Smith Rowe
Right hip. Expected to return to full training in December.

Dinos Mavropanos
Groin injury. Expected to return to full training in December.

Rob Holding
Left knee. Recovering after surgery.

Danny Welbeck
Right ankle. Recovering after surgery.

It will be a huge blow to Arsenal to have lost Bellerin over the festive period as he’s a key part of Emery’s starting eleven. The north Londoners may be confident of coping without him against the likes of Burnley and Brighton but Bellerin will be a huge miss when Arsenal head to Liverpool next weekend.

Stephan Lichtsteiner is expected to deputise at right-back over the coming weeks while Emery will be hoping Kolasinac and Mkhitaryan are passed fit to face Burnley as the Gunners look to get back to winning ways.