Concerned: Arsenal’s manager Arsene Wenger (Picture: REUTERS)

Arsene Wenger has voiced his concerns over Arsenal’s mounting injury list and lack of cover in key departments ahead of tonight’s Champions League opener at Marseille.

Olivier Giroud, the Gunners’ only recognised striker, recently admitted that he has endured a niggling pain in his right knee since the summer, but Wenger may be forced to start the Frenchman in the Stade Velodrome despite him coming off injured during the weekend win at Sunderland.

Santi Cazorla, Lukas Podolski and Tomas Rosicky are other notable absentees, and Wenger admits his squad are currently stretched to maximum capacity coming into a hectic time of the season.



‘Of course I am concerned because we now play for two months every three or four days,’ Wenger said.


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On form: Arsenal’s French striker Olivier Giroud (Picture: AFP/Getty Images)

‘It’s important we get players back. You can’t play the next two months with the squad we have at the moment.

‘We’re a really united squad and everyone works for the team.

‘That’s good, we have a quality squad but I’m a bit scared about the numbers we have in the squad.

‘We will face problems because of the numbers in our squad but we’ll do everything we can to rival the big clubs.’

Wenger failed to land any of his striker targets over the summer transfer window, with bids failing for Luis Suarez, Wayne Rooney, Gonzalo Higuian and Demba Ba.

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