Arsenal have suffered a huge injury blow ahead of the Champions League group stage clash against Lens at the Emirates Stadium tomorrow.
The Gunners picked up a second-straight Premier League win over the weekend. They got the better of Brentford on the road after a late winner from Kai Havertz off the bench.
The north London giants will now welcome Lens to the Emirates. A victory over the Ligue 1 club would guarantee their round of 16 place with the top spot in the group.
Ahead of the game, the Gunners are set to be without Vieira, who was recently ruled out of the Premier League fixture against Brentford with a red-card suspension.
Arteta revealed that Vieira was recently nursing a groin issue and the Portuguese has now undergone an operation which will keep him out of action for several weeks.
He told Arsenal.com: “Yeah, we’ve got a problem with him. He’s been having some discomfort and we tried to have alternative treatment with him.”
“He wasn’t improving so we’ve sent him to see a specialist and that was to get an operation done in his groin, and we did that yesterday. We’re expecting him to be out for weeks now.”
Arsenal handed fresh midfield blow ahead of Lens clash
Vieira has registered two goals and four assists this season. He has been a regular off the bench this term but did start the reverse fixture at Lens which ended in a 2-1 loss.
The €25 million-rated star has impressed with his creative presence in the limited playing time and he will be missed by the Gunners due to his game-changing potential.
Vieira is the third midfielder on the sidelines for the Gunners after Thomas Partey and Emile Smith Rowe. The duo are, however, anticipated to return before the New Year.
Meanwhile, there is good news on Ben White, who was absent for the open training session today.
White was spotted training individually with the conditioning coach towards the end of the session, but the manager has confirmed that he will be available to face Lens.
In our view, Takehiro Tomiyasu could continue in the right-back position. White could replace him around the hour mark. He could be handled with caution after his muscle injury.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com
