Friday 4 December 2015 06:39, UK
Arsenal stars Alexis Sanchez and Santi Cazorla remain on the sidelines and manager Arsene Wenger still does not know how long he will be without them.
It is a frustrating time for the Gunners with several top players picking up injuries in recent weeks as they push their rivals at the top of the Premier League.
Sanchez's absence is a huge blow to the team, fourth in the top flight, with the Chilean forward suffering a hamstring injury during the 1-1 draw at Norwich on Super Sunday last week.
And ahead of Saturday's home clash with Sunderland, Wenger is also without Cazorla who finished the same game with the Canaries "playing on one leg" after suffering a blow to his knee.
"At the moment on Alexis, Santi and Mikel [Arteta], we don't know how long they will be out for," Wenger told the club's website.
"It's always a disappointment to lose the players at an important moment of the season. But on the other hand, it's a great challenge to take for the team and a great opportunity to show that we are ready for a fight and we can deal with it.
"We prepared ourselves to go through periods like that, and I'm convinced the players are ready."
Arteta suffered a calf injury against West Brom last month.
Laurent Koscielny also limped away after the match on Sunday. Francis Coquelin, Theo Walcott, Danny Welbeck, Jack Wilshere and Tomas Rosicky are all now battling to regain fitness.
Wenger added: "We will make a decision on Saturday on Koscielny and Walcott - they could both make the squad. Kieran Gibbs is available again for the weekend."
Wenger has come under fire over the injury of Sanchez who has played 61 games for club and country in 12 months.
Charlie Nicholas felt the forward should have been rested in the midweek Champions League clash against Dinamo Zagreb with Arsenal 2-0 up before half-time.
Nicholas, former Arsenal striker and Sky Sports pundit, said: "Sanchez should have been taken off after an hour.
"After the game Wenger said he had a slight issue with Olivier Giroud and Hector Bellerin but Sanchez is the most important player of the three and should have been brought off when the game was dead."
Wenger defended his decision on Thursday and said: "I would have rested him but he felt perfectly all right before the game and he declared that he had no problem."
