Arsenal defence decimated ahead of Monaco clash

Arsenal are facing an injury crisis for their Champions League match against Monaco, with up to seven defenders potentially unavailable.

Jurrien Timber and Thomas Partey – the latter of whom deputised for Ben White at full-back in the 1-1 draw at Fulham on Sunday – both missed training on the eve of Wednesday's fixture.

Gabriel, Riccardo Calafiori and Oleksandr Zinchenko, all sidelined at Craven Cottage, were also absent from the club’s London Colney base. Japan international Takehiro Tomiyasu remains out with a long-term injury.

The setbacks mean Myles Lewis-Skelly, 18, who has made just two first-team appearances for the Gunners, both in the Carabao Cup this season, could be thrust into the European spotlight at the Emirates.

Kieran Tierney, who has not played competitively since he tore his hamstring in Scotland’s second group game at the European Championship in June, is also a shock contender to start.

"We have to manage a lot of the players, so they’re probably not going to be fit for tomorrow and are a doubt," said Mikel Arteta.

"I still have 24 hours to make those decisions and hopefully the right ones. We have to accept the challenge and its opportunities for other players to do that."

Prior to last month’s international break, Arteta, who has so far been forced to field nine different defensive backlines this season, compared Arsenal’s injury woes to a "nightmare".

He continued: "I was hoping it would improve, and it did improve, but then very quickly after the first game we started to have issues and more issues than we expected.

"The good news is that the team still reacts and plays in the way that we want and becomes so dominant, and we want to do that regardless of who plays and I think that belief is within the