Arsenal are facing up to an injury crisis remarkable even by their standards with two 18-year-olds set to make their Premier League debut for the club in the centre of midfield at Liverpool on Sunday.
Having begun last season with six players ruled out with injury, the Gunners are set to register what might well be a new record by kicking off the 2010/11 campaign with between seven and nine first-team regulars deemed unavailable.
A full injury bulletin will only be provided on Friday, but it is increasingly likely that both Jack Wilshere and Emmanuel Frimpong will both start against Liverpool. In addition to long-term injury casualty Aaron Ramsey, Arsene Wenger is expected to be deprived of four other central midfielders in Cesc Fabregas, Abou Diaby, Alex Song and Denilson.
Wenger confirmed on Monday that he expects Fabregas, as well as Robin van Persie, to be 'short' for the trip to Anfield, while Song, Denilson and Diaby failed to appear for a single minute of Arsenal's final three pre-season fixtures.
Nicklas Bendtner will be out of action until October after undergoing groin surgery, while there are also fitness doubts against Johan Djourou and Andrei Arshavin. Neither player featured in the 6-5 win over Legia Warsaw, with Wenger confirming afterwards that "We played 100 per cent of what was available".
Wenger does at least have no injury concerns over any of his goalkeepers, with Manuel Almunia, Lukasz Fabianski and Wojciech Szczesny all in contention to start in goal. Following Fabianski's latest horror show in Warsaw, there has been growing speculation that the 20-year-old Szczesny will be selected at Anfield, although with two teenage debutants in midfield Wenger might look more favourably on the experience of Almunia.
