Arsenal Team News & Injury Update: Latest On Sagna, Gibbs, Monreal & More…

Arsenal travel to Turkey on Tuesday afternoon in preparation for tomorrow nights vital Champions League play-off first leg with Fenerbache.

Ahead of the game boss Arsene Wenger has given the clubs official website a team news and injury update with the latest on Bacary Sagna, Kieran Gibbs and Nacho Monreal.

Saturday’s defeat to Aston Villa left us with a number of injury concerns, none-more-so than Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, with the midfielder picking up a nasty knee injury that looks likely to keep him out for at least three months.

Wenger didn’t reveal any further details on the injury following a scan on Monday but he did say that everybody else who took part at the weekend should be available tomorrow, with Sagna and Gibbs set for late tests.

Sagna was forced off in the final minute after landing awkwardly on his neck but he trained this morning and should play as long as he doesn’t have any adverse reaction overnight. Gibbs was also taken off earlier in the match after receiving a nasty cut above his eye but he too is likely to play.

Wenger also revealed some positive news on Monreal with the defender fit enough to travel with the squad after recoving from a back problem that’s kept him out of pre-season. Here’s what the boss told Arsenal.com:

on the team news…

The difference from Saturday is that Oxlade-Chamberlain is out for a while with a knee problem. Everybody else should make it. There’s a final decision [on Wednesday] but Sagna and Gibbs should be available.

on if Gibbs playing with a plaster on his head…

You get touched there once out of thousand. It’s just a cut. Nacho Monreal is back and will travel.

By saying that everybody else is fit, Wenger confirmed that the likes of Aaron Ramsey, Theo Walcott and Jack Wilshere are all fit and available after picking up minor knocks against Villa. On Sunday, I feared we’d have to put out a severely weakened starting eleven but now it looks as though we should be able to field a team that’s more than capable of getting a result.

I think we’ll see a very similar side that started against Villa with Lukas Podolski coming in for Oxlade-Chamberlain on the left.

Now we’ve seen the team news, what would be your preferred starting line-up? Leave your suggestions below.