Arsenal missing Coquelin and Giroud for Basel tie

Wed, 28 Sep 2016 05:31:23 +0000

Arsenal will be without Francis Coquelin because of a knee injury for the Champions League visit of Basel.

The midfielder, 25, was forced off in the first half of Saturday’s 3-0 Premier League win over Chelsea.

Granit Xhaka should deputise and Gunners boss Arsene Wenger has played down fears that Coquelin’s injury is a repeat of the one that caused him to miss two months of last season.

“The scan was quite positive. I think it will be three weeks out,” he said.

If Frenchman Coquelin is sidelined for three weeks, he will also miss the league matches against Burnley and Swansea and possibly the Champions League game at Ludogorets Razgrad on 19 October.

Striker Olivier Giroud will also miss the game against the Swiss champions after being sent off in Arsenal’s first Group A game, a 1-1 draw at Paris St-Germain.

The 29-year-old also has an injury, with Wenger saying he may not be fit for Sunday’s league match at Turf Moor.

Arsenal beat Chelsea 3-0 at Emirates Stadium on Saturday to move into third place in the table.

Wenger said: “We had a good game on Saturday but let’s show that we can go from good game to good game and put the effort in in every single game. That’s what it is about.

“What pleased me most was the relentless team energy, the fact that we kept going no matter what the result was, and that we respected what we planned together. That’s a sign of maturity.

“Our game is about style and steel, and we combined both. That was pleasing.

“Every time it’s a new challenge but I believe the humility is to accept that you have to start from scratch again and show another performance.”