Duo join Gunners' sick-list

Dennis Bergkamp and Robert Pires have joined Arsenal’s list of high-profile absentees ahead of tomorrow’s game at Blackburn.

Bergkamp has sustained a calf injury in training and Pires is out with flu, while Thierry Henry, Edu and Sol Campbell are still sidelined.

Gilberto will feature in the reserves tomorrow, rather than at Ewood Park, but Fredrik Ljungberg should start despite a bout of flu and Pascal Cygan is back in the squad after injury.

Provisional squad: Lehmann, Taylor, Lauren, Eboue, Cole, Clichy, Senderos, Toure, Cygan, Vieira, Flamini, Fabregas, Ljungberg, Reyes, van Persie, Owusu-Abeyie.