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Team News: Wenger Confirms Double Injury Blow Ahead Of Bayern

By on March 10, 2014

Arsenal have been handed a double injury blow ahead of Tuesday night’s Champions League clash against Bayern Munich.

Boss Arsene Wenger confirmed on Monday that Kieran Gibbs has failed to make the trip after picking up an ankle problem during the closing minutes of Saturday’s 4-1 FA Cup win over Everton, although he does have a chance of making Sunday’s North London Derby.

It’s a huge blow as with Nacho Monreal also missing, we’re now without both our left-backs, and it leaves Wenger with a dilemma on who to start against the reigning European champions. The favourite is probably Thomas Vermaelen, as the Belgian is capable of moving across to left-back, but he’ll severely inhibit the attacking side of our game. For that reason, I’d prefer to see Bacary Sagna switch to the left with Carl Jenkinson coming in on the right.

There has been some good news with the boss also revealing that Laurent Koscielny is back in the squad after recovering from a minor hamstring injury that kept him out at the weekend. The Frenchman is almost certain to reclaim his place alongside Mertesacker.

Here’s what Arsene told Arsenal.com:

on the team news…

We have lost Kieran Gibbs from the squad on Saturday with an ankle problem. Laurent Koscielny is back in the squad, so the only change in the squad is Koscielny for Gibbs.

on Vermaelen playing at left back…

That is a possibility.

on the north London derby…

Gibbs has a chance for Sunday.

It was also reported in the newspapers on Monday afternoon that young striker Yaya Sanogo has also failed to make the trip to Germany with an unspecified injury, although Arsene didn’t make any mention of it in his official team news update on Arsenal.com.

It means that Nicklas Bendtner is now likely to be Olivier Giroud’s back-up for the game on Tuesday night, with the Frenchman certain to return to the starting line-up having come off the bench to score two against Everton.

Who do you think should start at left-back? What team would you start?

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