Arsenal pair to miss trip to Newcastle trip

Arsenal defenders Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny are set to miss the English Premier League trip to NewcastleUnited on Saturday, August 29.

Arsenal fans were stunned on Monday, August 24 when they saw their first choice defensive pair missing from the starting 11 of the team against .

Arsenal had to do with the defensive pair of Calum Chambers and Gabriel Paulista in the 0-0 draw with Liverpool.

After the game, Arsene Wenger revealed that Mertesacker was sick while Koscienly had a injury.

"Mertesacker is sick. How long will that sickness take? I don't know," Wenger said after the game.

"Koscielny has a back problem. Having said that, our two centre backs played well in the second half."

Ahead of their trip to Newcastle, the duo is set to miss out again with their respective problems.

Mertesacker, it has been revealed is suffering with a chest infection and is very reluctance to towards taking antibiotics to clear up the illness.

"At the moment he (Mertesacker) does not get better, on Wednesday he was not good, we had to send him home, he has a chest infection," Wenger said.

"The Germans are a bit sceptical of that (antibiotics), I don't know sort of medication he is taking, I don't know if he takes antibiotics.

"I hope that he comes in and says: "I am perfectly all right."

Midfielder Mesut Ozil was reportedly missing from Arsenal's Friday, August 29 training although it has not been confirmed if he will take part in the game or not.

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