WALCOTT INJURED

Arsenal will be without the services of their star midfielder Theo Walcott for up to a week after the 24-year-old suffered injury while on international duty with the England national team.

Walcott was one of the players called up for the England duty by the manager Roy Hodgson. He was expected to be involved in the matches against San Marino and Montenegro, which will be crucial to the World Cup qualifying. However, Walcott suffered an injury just before the San Marino match. The pelvic injury will see him be sidelined for up to 10 days according to the England doctors.

Hence, Walcott will be unavailable for both the matches against San Marino and Montenegro. Even managed a massive 8-0 win over San Marino, but the Three Lions are expected to encounter tough competition when they face Montenegro, who are ahead of them in the group table. As a result, England need a victory from this match in order to make sure that qualification to the 2014 FIFA World Cup remains in their hands. The loss of Walcott will prove to be extremely pivotal for the team. Arsenal are also likely to miss the services of the player for the match against Reading.

Arsenal will be hosting Reading after the end of the international break. "Theo overstretched slightly crossing a ball in training. He immediately felt a slight problem in the pelvic area, went straight off the pitch and had a scan on Friday morning. It showed a slight tear in the pelvic muscle," said England manager Roy Hodgson ahead of the match. As a result of this injury, Walcott is now expected to be back with the Arsenal medical staff in order to reassess the situation and recover from the injury. Arsenal are struggling to qualify for the Champions League next season.