Arsene Wenger has confirmed Kieran Gibbs will miss tomorrow's match at Old Trafford, meaning Andre Santos is expected to line-up at Old Trafford. He will have a tough time up against in-form Antonio Valencia and Rafael and the Gunners will need him to prove his defensive qualities.
The Gunners boss has also calmed speculation Wojciech Szczesny could make a comeback, stating the Polish goalkeeper is still out, along with Abou Diaby who remains injured.
He confirmed today that Gervinho is expected to be out for three weeks, but delivered positive news when he stated the squad have no injuries from Tuesday night's win at Reading to report.
Aaron Ramsey is expected to start on the right wing, with Theo Walcott likely to start as substitute, according to a report. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has suffered a new groin injury and will miss out entirely.
Santi Cazorla has spoken of the need to control possession in tomorrow's game, in a similar way to the Manchester City clash, and stated the Gunners will go to Old Trafford confident they are capable of bringing back three points, but he added it will be 'very difficult.'
Sir Alex Ferguson has backed Arsene Wenger's assertion that Arsenal fans should respect Robin van Persie. The former Gunners captain moved on after eight years with the club this summer, and it is still a raw wound for supporters seeing him in a United shirt.
More intriguing revelations have emerged today over Van Persie's departure from the Emirates. The striker is claimed to have objected to Wenger's appointment of Steve Bould to number two, seeing him as a 'yes man', and even told Wenger which players to sign, which the manager did not respond to well.
In transfer news, Arsenal have been linked with Croatian playmaker Ante Rogulic. The Sun report the 16-year-old would be available for just £1.5 million from club side Adriatic Split.
Brendan Rodgers has played down Liverpool's potential move for Theo Walcott, dismissing the rumours as just 'speculation'. He says he is focusing on the squad he has for now with the January transfer window still two months away.
image: © Ronnie Macdonald
Dan Coombs
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Dan Coombs is a writer who is keen to embrace the internet revolution. He first started writing for us in June 2011 and commenced his new role as Sports Editor in February 2012.
As a trained journalist he has met famous faces from Mr T to Boris Johnson. He once featured in an England World Cup music video too, but it did not make the charts.
He grew up wanting to be a Formula 1 driver, but it looks like this dream has passed him by. Instead, he hopes you enjoy reading his writing on our site, as we seek to debate the day's sporting hot topics.
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