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Nigel French/EMPICS Sport
Injury Woe

Arsenal pay heavy price for victory over Stoke

A sprained ankle has ruled Theo Walcott out of Sunday’s Carling Cup Final against Birmingham City while captain Cesc Fabregas faces a race to prove his fitness.

ARSENE WENGER’S CASUALTY list gained two unwelcome additions last night as both Cesc Fabregas and Theo Walcott picked up injuries during Arsenal’s 1-0 win over Stoke City.

Fabregas played little more than a quarter of an hour of last night’s game before he limped off with a suspected knee problem.

However, it has now been confirmed that the problem concerns the Spaniard’s hamstring, with Arsenal’s medics scheduled to conduct a full assessment today. The club remain hopeful that he will be fit to face Birmingham City in Sunday’s Carling Cup Final.

One player who will not be fit for Sunday, however, is Theo Walcott. The 21-year-old twisted his ankle mid-way through the second half after a particularly robust challenge from Stoke midfielder Dean Whitehead.

With striker Robin van Persie and defender Laurent Koscielny also doubtful for Sunday’s trip to Wembley, Wenger now faces the prospect of having to field an understrength side in a game that he would dearly love to win.

Speaking at a post-match press conference last night, Wenger confirmed Walcott’s absence but refused to speculate on the severity of Fabregas’ hamstring complaint.

Theo Walcott has an ankle sprain and he is out. For how long, I don’t know, but he is definitely out of Sunday.

Fabregas has a hamstring problem. It is impossible to see how serious it is. We will know on Thursday.

Arsenal fans will have been boosted, however, by the determination of their captain to lead his side out on Sunday.

Tweeting after last night’s game, Fabregas assured fans that “I don’t know if I’ll make Sunday or not, but all I know is that from this moment until 16:30 on Sunday, I won’t sleep if it’s necessary. I’ve waited too long to captain a final for Arsenal and I won’t give up till the last second.”

Arsenal fans are once again likely to feel aggrieved at the perceived lack of protection which their star players receive from referees. However, the Gunners’ own disciplinary record is far from exemplary with the North London side picking up 45 yellow cards and six reds so far this season.

Stoke, on the other hand, have only had a player sent off twice, with Ryan Shawcross the guilty party on both occasions. Their total of 48 yellow cards is only marginally greater than Arsenal’s own total.

See what Arsene Wenger had to say about last night’s result in the video below.

Read how the action unfolded in our minute-by-minute report>