Gunners Face Injury Worries, Packed Schedule

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Those doing sports betting at BetUs have been watching Arsenal try to pull off a historic quadruple as they are in the Carling Cup final on Sunday against Birmingham, and they’re still alive in the FA Cup, the Champions League and the Premiership. But with the fixtures piling up, injuries could be a major obstacle for the Gunners.

Arsenal beat Stoke City 1-0 at the Emirates on Wednesday thanks to Sebastien Squillaci’s goal in the seventh minute, but it came at a cost as captain Cesc Fabregas limped off with a knee injury after only 14 minutes, and Theo Walcott had to be stretchered off in the 71st minute with what looks like a knock to this ankle. This can’t be good for Arsenal, who have a number of important matches on the horizon. Neither would have likely featured in Sunday’s match, but more importantly, the Gunners have a replay at home in the FA Cup against Leyton Orient next Wednesday. Next, Arsenal will host Sunderland in a big Premiership match next Saturday, and it’s big because the Gunners are only a point behind leaders Manchester United (who have a game in hand) at the top of the table.

Then it gets really interesting: on March 8th, Arsenal will head to Barcelona for the second leg of their massive Champions League tie, taking a 2-1 lead into the Nou Camp. Providing they get past Leyton Orient, Arsenal will then travel to Old Trafford four days later to meet Manchester United in the quarterfinals of the FA Cup. We don’t know the extent of the injuries suffered by Fabregas and Walcott, but it is worrying that the Gunners didn’t have striker Robin van Persie or defender Laurent Koscielny available against Stoke. The big games to watch for is the visit from Leyton Orient next weekend and then, of course, the trip to Barcelona which will be the biggest test of the season for the Gunners. Manager Arsene Wenger will have to prioritize what he wants to go for, because the Gunners don’t have the depth to deal with these challenges, especially without Fabregas and/or Walcott.