Defender Bacary Sagna will miss Arsenal’s weekend game with Aston Villa with a knee problem he picked up against Bayern Munich. The Frenchman is believed to have sustained the injury in the first half of the defeat, but continued to play despite this, giving an admirable display considering.

The right-back has endured criticism for some poor performances recently and he himself has acknowledged this, telling the media that he ‘must do better’ if he wishes to keep his place in the side.

Future

Of course, it was other things he said to the media earlier in the season that have been more of a problem, with his future in doubt due to his unhappiness and a lack of contract talks with the club. Two leg breaks have affected him, and Arsenal are unwilling to give him a long contract extension, but he has proven his worth for the most part with some reliable performances at the back.

The injury likely comes as a consequence of his leg breaks, and it is unknown how long he will be out for. Arsene Wenger only said he would miss the Villa game ‘at least’, but there was no timeframe, suggesting it could have recovered in a week or two. We can only hope it isn’t an Ashley Cole-style contract ‘injury’, but that seems unlikely.

Left-back in the side

Kieran Gibbs is still out for ‘a few weeks’ as he recovers from a thigh problem, and it is unknown if the possibility of him playing in the second leg of the Bayern tie is still there.

On the bright side, Nacho Monreal will return to the side after being cup-tied for the Champions League. Thomas Vermaelen played like an out-of-form centre-back in that position on Wednesday, so the Spaniard will be welcome.

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