Understrength Arsenal reshuffle for Bolton test

Arsenal will face up to life without Thierry Henry in tomorrow’s FA Cup sixth-round tie against Bolton at the Reebok Stadium.

Arsenal will face up to life without Thierry Henry in tomorrow’s FA Cup sixth-round tie against Bolton at the Reebok Stadium.

The French striker – who scored in the 1-0 Champions League victory over Bayern Munich on Wednesday night – will be unavailable for “two to three weeks” with a calf strain.

Robin van Persie and Quincy Owusu-Abeyie are in contention to start alongside Dennis Bergkamp in attack, while Jose Antonio Reyes could also be moved further forward.

Brazilian midfielder Edu injured his knee in the build-up to the Bayern game - which Arsenal lost on aggregate – and is likely to be sidelined for much of the end-of-season run-in.

Gilberto was a shock selection on the bench in midweek after being out since September when fracturing his vertebrae. However, boss Arsene Wenger expects the midfielder to need a couple more reserve outings before he is fully match fit.

Sol Campbell (ankle) and Pascal Cygan (thigh) are still out, and Manuel Almunia (groin) is a doubt, so Wenger will probably stick with the same defence which kept a clean sheet against Bayern.

Provisional squad: Lehmann, Taylor, Almunia, Lauren, Cole, Clichy, Toure, Senderos, Eboue, Vieira, Flamini, Fabregas, Pires, Reyes, Ljungberg, van Persie, Bergkamp, Owusu-Abeyie, Gilberto, Aliadiere.

More in this section

Sport

Newsletter

Sign up to our daily sports bulletin, delivered straight to your inbox at 5pm. Subscribers also receive an exclusive email from our sports desk editors every Friday evening looking forward to the weekend's sporting action.

Cookie Policy Privacy Policy Brand Safety FAQ Help Contact Us Terms and Conditions

© Examiner Echo Group Limited