Arsene Wenger: We may need to sign Arteta replacement
- Mikel Arteta ruled out for two games after spraining ankle
- Arsenal captain taken off injured during 0-0 draw with Besiktas on Tuesday
- Spaniard will miss Saturday's clash against former club Everton
Mikel Arteta has been ruled out for Arsenal’s next two games after spraining an ankle during Tuesday’s fiery Champions League qualifier against Besiktas.
The Arsenal captain was taken off in the 50th minute in the Olympic Ataturk Stadium after a challenge from former Chelsea striker Demba Ba.
Arsenal will also be without Aaron Ramsey for the second leg with the Turkish side after he was sent off for a second yellow card in the second half.
VIDEO Scroll down to hear Wenger say he is worried by how short Arsenal are
Sidelined: Arsenal midfielder Mikel Arteta has been ruled out of the Gunners next two fixtures
Painful: Arteta sprained his ankle against Besiktas and will miss Saturday's clash against former club Everton
Arteta will miss Saturday's trip to Everton in the Barclay's Premier League and the Champions League second leg against Besiktas at the Emirates on Wednesday.
He will have another scan on the affected area on Thursday, but is definitely out of Arsenal’s next two matches.
Arsenal’s injury list is already beginning to mount after Yaya Sanogo and Kieran Gibbs missed the 0-0 draw in Istanbul.
UEFA also confirmed last night that Besiktas boss Slaven Bilic will be suspended from the technical area after he was sent off in the final moments of the first leg.
Bilic serves a one-match ban and will have no access to the dressing room or his players when they arrive at the Emirates on Wednesday.
UEFA are also considering the incident which led to Wenger making a complaint to the match delegate after a bottle was hurled at his head when he walked off the pitch. Wenger escaped injury, but Arsenal immediately lodged a complaint.
Trouble: Besiktas manager Slaven Bilic (right) has been handed a minimum one-game suspension by UEFA
Arsenal escaped with a draw in the first leg and they have had a sluggish start to the season as they bed in with a new team, edging past Crystal Palace on the opening day and then enduring a frustrating stalemate in Turkey.
This weekend, when they travel to Goodison Park to play Everton for the tea-time kick-off, they will be boosted by the return of their World Cup-winning trio.
Mesut Ozil, Per Mertesacker and Lukas Poldolski will be in the squad and Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere is convinced they will make a big difference.
Comeback: Mesut Ozil will return to the Arsenal squad having watched Tuesday's clash on television
Wilshere, who has started both of Arsenal’s opening two games, said: ‘They’re Germans and they’ve got fantastic mentality anyway. Last year we saw that. They’re great characters to have in the dressing room and great players as well. We’re looking forward to getting them back and it’s going to make our squad even stronger.
‘We have worked all year. We were in and around the top and in the end we fell away but we worked really hard to be in the top four.
‘We always want to be in the Champions League to attract players who want to play in the Champions League. We have players at the club who have to play in the Champions League. So we know it’s a big game and we’ll treat it as a cup final in the second leg.’
Big difference: Jack Wilshere is confident Arsenal's returning German's willmake the squad stronger
Wenger described Ramsey's red card in Istanbul as 'unbelievable'. The Welsh midfielder, who apologised to fans via Twitter after the game, will serve a one-game European ban and misses Wednesday’s match.
Wilshere defended Arsenal’s conduct against Besiktas, saying: ‘I don’t think the tackles crossed the line. That’s always going to be the type of challenge you’d expect in a match of this type. We put in some as well. It was a fair game and the ref did a good job.
‘It was harsh to send off Aaron but in the rule book that’s how it is. Two minutes after he did it, someone did it to me and didn’t get booked. That’s the only problem sometimes — with consistency. But I suppose in the rule book it is a booking.’
VIDEO Ramsey red card unbelievable - Wenger
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