Arsene Wenger has given the latest team news as his side prepare to travel to Turf Moor to take on Burnley this weekend, and three players have been singled out as missing the clash through injury.
According to the Independent, midfielder Aaron Ramsey (hamstring) and striker Olivier Giroud (toe) have been indefinitely ruled out of the squad, as well as Francis Coquelin, who picked up a knee injury in the side’s emphatic 3-0 home victory over league rivals Chelsea.
However, a positive to take from this news is that the latter of this trio, Coquelin, is already back in light training, and could be back in contention for a place in the starting XI by next week.
It was thought that the Frenchman would be out for a significant period after a reoccurring knock from last season appeared to rule him out for weeks, however, his recovery has been better than expected.
Speaking of his latest set of injuries within the squad, Arsene gave an update on each of his absentee’s: “Aaron Ramsey should be available after the international break.
“Giroud will be out, he will not come back. [Coquelin] is looking much better but he will still not be ready. The ligament is not as damaged as we thought but we have to be careful.”
Arsenal are looking to continue their fine run of form both domestically and in Europe with an unbeaten run of nine fixtures in all competitions, and currently, sit in the third position after four wins from six league matches.
After a slow start in which they took just one point from their first two matches, Arsenal (4-1-1) have regrouped in emphatic fashion, scoring 19 goals while going 6-1-0 across all competitions and not letting up against the Premier League’s lightweights.
Spirits are high in North London, and heading into the break with a victory would further reinforce the notion the Gunners will be legitimate title contenders as opposed to being content with their customary top-four finish that secures Champions League play.
Walcott has tapped a rich vein of goal-scoring with four in his last three matches and is joint-leader in goals scored with Sanchez at five. With Saturday marking the 20th anniversary of Wenger’s arrival in London from Japan’s Grampus-8, it’s a good time to be the French manager as he struck a reflective tone at his Friday news conference.
“It’s a privilege. It’s my life. Twenty years in a professional career is amazing,” he said. “We go just game by game but when you look back you see that you have come a long way. It also reminds you that the club has moved forward from a normal shop to a big supermarket, a world market. For me to go through this history has been a privilege.”