Arsenal will be without their two premier midfielders for the big North London Derby against Tottenham in the English Premier League on Sunday, but another could make his debut in the high-profile encounter.
Mesut Ozil picked up a hamstring injury in the 1-1 draw against Bayern Munich in the Champions League, a tie which Arsenal lost 3-1 on aggregate, and the German international will now watch from the sidelines for at least four weeks.
Ozil came from much criticism following Arsenal's exit from the Champions League, with the club record signing failing to make an impact in the first half, before failing to turn up in the second half after picking up a hamstring injury.
Responding to the criticism, Ozil revealed he had tweaked his hamstring in just the second minute of the game, but bit the bullet and carried on as he was desperate to make amends for the penalty miss in the first leg against Bayern at the Emirates.
"Now it's clear, during the match against Bayern I suffered a muscle injury in the second minute," Ozil wrote on his Facebook page. "I tried to give my best and played until the end of the first half. Rest assured that I'll be back even stronger!"
Ozil's loss was thought to be offset by Aaron Ramsey's return, but Arsene Wenger dealt another blow by revealing the midfielder, easily Arsenal's best player before he got injured on Boxing Day, would miss a few more games.
"We have had to defer his comeback to full training a little so he is not available," Wenger confirmed. "He is having difficulties in the final stages of his rehab. It looks to be short-term."
However, there was some positive news for Arsenal, with the manager admitting new signing Kim Kallstrom could be in the squad for the big game against Spurs on Sunday. Kallstrom is yet to make a single appearance for Arsenal since signing during the January transfer window due to a back injury.
"Kallstrom joins the normal training group today [Thursday] and [Yaya] Sanogo too," the Frenchman said. "I will have to decide if Kallstrom is OK to be in the squad on Sunday. I will see how he looks, it is not impossible."
Arsenal had their two left-backs out against Bayern, with Thomas Vermaelen having to fill in at the position, but both Kieran Gibbs and Nacho Monreal could be available for the next game.
"Kieran Gibbs has a test tomorrow [Friday] but I am hopeful that Nacho Monreal will be fit," Wenger added. "They both have a good chance."
Theo how-Arsenal-have-missed-him Walcott and Abou Diaby are long-term injury victims.
