Arsene Wenger has a fresh defensive crisis on his hands after he confirmed that Laurent Koscielny and Nacho Monreal will both miss this weekend’s Premier League match against Newcastle, along with the suspended Calum Chambers.

As if that wasn’t bad enough for the Gunners, they will also be without midfielder Aaron Ramsey after he suffered a hamstring injury in the 4-1 win over Galatasaray which saw him score a candidate for goal of the year.

Wenger handed right-back Mathieu Debuchy his first start in three months in the Champions League game in Turkey, but he could be forced to deploy the Frenchman as a makeshift centre-back given that he has no alternative options to partner Per Mertesacker at the back. With Debuchy set to start in the middle, either Hector Bellerin or defensive midfielder Mathieu Flamini could play at right-back, with Kieran Gibbs coming back into the side on the left.

The news will cause further frustration among Arsenal fans that have shown a serious level of discontent in recent weeks with the side below-par performances and Wenger’s failure to sign at least another defender in the summer.

Having brought in Debuchy and Chambers to replace the departed Bacary Sagna and Thomas Vermaelen, supporters called for another defender to be added to the squad to strengthen what they hoped would be a title challenge, but Wenger decided against signing another player and the Gunners currently find themselves down in sixth, 13 points behind leaders Chelsea.

Speaking at his pre-match press conference on Friday morning, Wenger confirmed that Koscielny had not suffered a recurrence of the ankle injury that kept him on the sidelines earlier in the season, but had picked up a new calf strain that will definitely keep him out of Saturday’s evening kick-off.

Arsenal’s possible last 16 Champions League opponents 6 show all Arsenal’s possible last 16 Champions League opponents 1/6 Atletico Madrid Motivated by last year’s Final defeat to rivals Real Madrid, Atletico have continued their excellent form in Europe. Diego Simeone’s well organised Spanish champions, currently third in La Liga, made easy work of their group, finishing three points clear of Juventus. 2/6 Real Madrid No club has ever retained their Champions League title, but few would bet against Real doing just that, especially after winning all six of their group games. With Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and James Rodriguez, Carlo Ancelotti has an abundance of attacking options at his disposal. Avoid. 3/6 Monaco Were expected to struggle after selling star men Radamel Falcao and James Rodriguez in the summer, but Leonardo Jardim’s side finished top of their group after beating Zenit 2-0 on Tuesday. Monaco only scored four goals but are tough to break down and conceded just once in their six group games. 4/6 Bayern Munich In good shape to reach a third final in five years after booking their place in the knockout round with two games to spare without having to get out of second gear. With Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer in the form of his life, it will take something special to overcome Pep Guardiola’s side. 5/6 Porto Porto have emerged as a dark horse under Julen Lopetegui after cementing their place at the top of Group H. Only Chelsea scored more than the Portuguese giants’ 16 goals in the group stage. While everyone would have expected them to qualify, Porto impressed and could be dangerous. 6/6 Barcelona While no longer the team to beat, Barcelona demonstrated their quality by finishing ahead of PSG in their group. Lionel Messi is in fine form with eight goals in the competition already, and with Neymar and Luis Suarez alongside him in attack, Luis Enrique’s side remain a powerful force in Europe. 1/6 Atletico Madrid Motivated by last year’s Final defeat to rivals Real Madrid, Atletico have continued their excellent form in Europe. Diego Simeone’s well organised Spanish champions, currently third in La Liga, made easy work of their group, finishing three points clear of Juventus. 2/6 Real Madrid No club has ever retained their Champions League title, but few would bet against Real doing just that, especially after winning all six of their group games. With Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and James Rodriguez, Carlo Ancelotti has an abundance of attacking options at his disposal. Avoid. 3/6 Monaco Were expected to struggle after selling star men Radamel Falcao and James Rodriguez in the summer, but Leonardo Jardim’s side finished top of their group after beating Zenit 2-0 on Tuesday. Monaco only scored four goals but are tough to break down and conceded just once in their six group games. 4/6 Bayern Munich In good shape to reach a third final in five years after booking their place in the knockout round with two games to spare without having to get out of second gear. With Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer in the form of his life, it will take something special to overcome Pep Guardiola’s side. 5/6 Porto Porto have emerged as a dark horse under Julen Lopetegui after cementing their place at the top of Group H. Only Chelsea scored more than the Portuguese giants’ 16 goals in the group stage. While everyone would have expected them to qualify, Porto impressed and could be dangerous. 6/6 Barcelona While no longer the team to beat, Barcelona demonstrated their quality by finishing ahead of PSG in their group. Lionel Messi is in fine form with eight goals in the competition already, and with Neymar and Luis Suarez alongside him in attack, Luis Enrique’s side remain a powerful force in Europe.

"He [Koscielny] has a calf strain and that's why he's out,” said Wenger. "He [Gibbs] is available and Flamini is available too.

“Olivier Giroud, Alexis Sanchez and Danny Welbeck are fit and rested.”

On Ramsey’s knock, Wenger admitted it was a disappointment not to have him available after he scored in his last two outings.

He added: "It's a shame because he was getting close to matching last season's form.”

Wenger is aware that Newcastle’s run of form – which has led to Alan Pardew picking up the award for Barclays Manager of the Month – means they pose a serious threat on Saturday.

"They are doing well and are on a good run so it'll be a good challenge for us,” he said. “Overall we are on a good trend.

"We are united for one target: to do well for the club we love and that's what we want to achieve.

"Society wants to win the next game and it's a permanent tribunal for everyone. Pardew has done a great job this season."

The 65-year-old Frenchman also explained that Lukas Podolski will get a chance to show he belongs in the starting line-up after his brace against Galatasaray in mid-week, which once again demonstrated his prowess in front of goal.

"He's getting back into form,” explained Wenger. “There's a lot of competition up front. He will get a chance"

"I can understand frustration but he has to be ready when his chance comes to help the club."