Eboue to miss Blackburn and Flamini looks doubtful

Arsenal v Blackburn Rovers
Emirates Stadium
Sat, Dec 23, 2006, 3pm


Emmanuel Eboue will miss the Premiership game with Blackburn on Saturday.

The right back has not recovered from an ankle injury he collected against Portsmouth last weekend. However Arsène Wenger will resist the temptation to use fit-again Lauren. Instead Justin Hoyte will slot in. Mathieu Flamini (shoulder) is also a doubt while William Gallas is still “one or two weeks” away.

“Eboue came off with an ankle injury in our last game against Portsmouth,” Wenger told Arsenal TV Online on Thursday afternoon. “We thought it would be a matter of days but he will certainly be out on Saturday against Blackburn. It will be Justin Hoyte who plays.

“There was a small injury to Mathieu Flamini that meant he could not travel to Liverpool. So I don’t know whether I will have him in the squad or not on Saturday.”

Meanwhile the wait goes on for three of Arsenal’s most experienced players.

“There is no way back yet for William Gallas [thigh],” he said. “He’ll be one or two weeks more. It is difficult to set a time on Thierry Henry [hamstring]. Freddie Ljungberg’s hamstring injury was 21 days so it is two more weeks from now.”

[ Source form : arsenal.com ]