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Arsenal boss offers mixed injury update on duo ahead of Chelsea

By on February 1, 2017

alex-oxlade-chamberlain arsenal

Arsene Wenger has offered a mixed injury update on Aaron Ramsey and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain after both players picked up knocks during our disastrous 2-1 defeat to Watford last night.

Despite rumours that he was carrying a knock from last week, Ramsey was recalled to the starting eleven against Watford but he went down clutching his leg inside the opening 20 minutes.

The Welshman limped off and was replaced by Oxlade-Chamberlain and unfortunately Wenger has confirmed that Rambo has suffered a calf strain.

The boss doesn’t know the full extent of the problem but with the Chelsea game just three days away there is virtually no chance he’ll be making the trip to Stamford Bridge.

The good news is that Ramsey has been in awful form so thankfully he won’t be in the team for arguably the biggest game of the season, but the bad news is we don’t have too many options to fill his boots.

Cazorla is obviously still out with his Achilles injury, Xhaka is still suspended while Elneny is away at the Africa Cup of Nations so our midfield options are thin on the ground. However, it looks like we’ve got some positive news on Oxlade-Chamberlain.

The 23-year-old was seen limping during the closing stages of our defeat to Watford but was forced to carry on as we’d already made our three substitutions.

Thankfully Wenger doesn’t seem concerned as he says Oxlade-Chamberlain just took a kick to his knee so he should be fit and available for selection to face Chelsea.

Wenger told Arsenal.com:

on Aaron Ramsey…
It’s a calf strain. I don’t know how long he will be out for, but it’s a calf strain.

on Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain limping…
He got a kick on his knee, yes.

on whether Oxlade-Chamberlain is a doubt for the Chelsea game…
No, I don’t think so. I think he should be alright.

So it looks as though Oxlade-Chamberlain will be starting alongside Francis Coquelin in central midfield on Saturday – although I have heard whispers that Coquelin is also carrying a hamstring niggle so we’ll have to keep a close eye on that one over the coming days.