Wenger faces up to injury crisis

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, seen here during the Premier League match in 2007, has been hit by an injury crisis that threatens to derail Arsenal's Premier League title challenge.

Arsene Wenger has been hit by an injury crisis that threatens to derail Arsenal's Premier League title challenge.

Wenger is facing the unpalatable prospect of taking on Blackburn on Monday without 10 first team stars.

Tomas Rosicky, Robin van Persie and Johan Djourou are already sidelined but during Wednesday's internationals Swiss defender Phillipe Senderos aggravated a knee ligament problem and Mathieu Flamini suffered a hamstring injury playing for France.

To add to Wenger's woes, Spanish goalkeeper Manuel Almunia, already a doubt with a finger injury, has gone down with an illness that forced Wenger to send him home from training on Friday.

Abou Diaby is also likely to miss the Emirates Stadium clash with a calf injury sustained against Manchester City last weekend.

"It is a big problem. At the moment we are down to the bare bones. We are really, really short," Wenger said.

"Rosicky, Van Persie and Djourou are out and Almunia is a doubt. We lost Diaby against Manchester City with a calf problem. We might lose Flamini as well. He had to come out of the French national team.

"Philippe Senderos was injured as well. He has a medial knee ligament. I don't rule him out completely. He is positive about it, the medical team a bit less.

"Almunia has sickness. We will see about his thumb on Sunday."

With William Gallas the only central defender available to Wenger, the French coach refused to rule out the possibility of Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Eboue flying back from the African Nations Cup in time to feature against Rovers.

"The Ivory Coast play on Saturday afternoon. I haven't called Toure yet. I will call him to see if he can take a flight direct from Accra to London," Wenger said.

If Toure doesn't return in time, Wenger will be forced to play Brazil midfielder Gilberto Silva or young right-back Justin Hoye alongside Gallas.