Gallas sidelined for rest of the season
LONDON - Arsenal defender William Gallas will be out for the rest of the season after being injured against Villarreal in Tuesday's Champions League quarter-final second leg.
Manager Arsene Wenger confirmed to reporters on Thursday that the knee ligament damage Gallas suffered during his side's 1-1 draw at Villarreal meant he would play no further part in Arsenal's assault on the Champions League and FA Cup trophies.
Gallas was injured when he collided with Villarreal striker Giuseppe Rossi shortly before half-time.
Arsenal will also be without goalkeeper Manuel Almunia for three weeks due to an ankle injury which he suffered in Tuesday's match in a collision with Rossi while full-back Gael Clichy will miss two weeks with a back injury.
Almunia's absence means that second-choice goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski, who replaced Almunia after 27 minutes in Spain, will have an extended run in the team for the first time this season.
Robin van Persie and Eduardo, who both missed Tuesday's match, are struggling to be fit for Saturday's Premier League match against Wigan Athletic and will undergo fitness tests before the game.
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Gregg Davies is the Chief Sub Editor of FourFourTwo magazine, joining the team in January 2008 and spending seven years working on the website. He supports non-league behemoths Hereford and commentates on Bulls matches for Radio Hereford FC. His passions include chocolate hobnobs and attempting to shoehorn Ronnie Radford into any office conversation.
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