Duo fail to complete Gunners’ win over the Black Cats.
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Arsenal have been hit with yet more injury problems after both Santi Cazorla and Olivier Giroud were forced to limp out of Saturday’s 3-1 win over Sunderland in the Premier League at the Stadium of Light, according to reports in the Mail on Sunday.
The north London club are already badly short of numbers, especially in attack after experienced German international Lukas Podolski suffered a hamstring injury last month, with the striker having been ruled out of action until November as a result.
And now with the Gunners due to face Ligue 1 giants Olympique de Marseille in their opening UEFA Champions League group-stage fixture on Wednesday night, head coach Arsene Wenger is facing the possibility of taking on the French side without a recognised centre-forward after Giroud picked up a knee injury in the north east.
The in-form French international went down in the closing stages of the Gunners’ impressive victory on Wearside clutching his right knee, and as if to make matters worse, the visitors also lost the services of key attacking midfield player Cazorla too against the Black Cats, with Wenger confirming after the full-time whistle that the diminutive Spanish playmaker will now be on the sidelines for two weeks with an ankle problem.
“Cazorla has an ankle problem I don’t think he will play before the next international break and will be out for at least a fortnight,” said Wenger.