Arsenal
Arsenal Team News: Wenger Confirms Triple Injury Blow Ahead Of Chelsea Showdown
Arsene Wenger has given a team news update ahead of Arsenal’s clash with Chelsea and it looks like the Gunners have been dealt a triple injury blow.
Arsenal will be desperate to get back to winning ways when they welcome Chelsea to the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday night.
Ahead of the game, Arsene Wenger has been speaking to the media at his pre-match press conference this morning and he’s given reporters a team news and injury update.
The Gunners boss has confirmed that left-back Sead Kolasinac will miss the game against Chelsea tomorrow night after being ruled out for at least two weeks with an ankle injury.
Kolasinac was forced him off during the closing stages of the first half of Arsenal’s 1-1 draw with West Bromwich Albion on New Year’s Eve and is now set to miss at least four games.
Laurent Koscielny was also substituted against the Baggies after aggravating an Achilles injury and the centre-back is now a major doubt to take on Chelsea tomorrow as Wenger says he only has a 30 per cent chance of being fit.
Mesut Ozil was ruled out of the trip to the Hawthorns on Sunday after picking up a knee injury during Arsenal’s 3-2 victory at Crystal Palace last week and the playmaker has been unable to train since.
In another blow to Arsenal, Wenger has revealed that Ozil will undergo a late fitness test this morning but only has a ‘little chance’ of being passed fit to face Chelsea on Wednesday night.
The Arsenal boss is quoted as saying by the Mirror:
“At the moment our injury list is quite long, because we lost Kolasinac in the game and Koscielny. We had already Monreal, Giroud, Ramsey, Ozil [out].
“Who will be available tomorrow? The two who have a little chance are Ozil, who might have a test this morning – but he hasn’t been out at all since Crystal Palace, so I don’t know. [With] Koscielny, yesterday the medical staff were pessimistic about him.
“Kolasinac is out completely for at least two weeks. Koscielny is 30 per cent available, 70 per cent not.
With Aaron Ramsey, Olivier Giroud and Nacho Monreal also sidelined through injury it means Arsenal will be without six first team players against Chelsea if Koscielny and Ozil are ruled out.
That will be a huge concern to Wenger as he looks to get his team back to winning ways following the disappointing draw at West Brom – which has left the north Londoners sitting six points adrift of the top four.
