Nasri to sit out Barca visit

Nasri to sit out Barca visit

Published Feb. 2, 2011 3:10 p.m. ET

Samir Nasri is out the first leg of Arsenal's Champions League tie against Barcelona, while Alex Song and Theo Walcott have picked up knocks.

Defensive midfielder Song is struggling with a leg problem having been inadvertently kicked by team-mate Laurent Koscielny during the Gunners' 2-1 win over Everton at Emirates Stadium and replaced by Abou Diaby.

Young winger Walcott, meanwhile, completed the full 90 minutes but was left nursing an ankle problem after the final whistle.

The absence of in-form Nasri is the Gunners' biggest blow, however, with Arsene Wenger confirming the Frenchman will be out for three weeks after sustaining a hamstring injury against Huddersfield on Sunday. Barcelona arrive at Emirates Stadium in a fortnight.

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Wenger told the club's official website: "For Nasri, the scan shows a hamstring strain. (He will be out for) 21 days."

The Gunners boss added: "Song cannot walk. I don't know what he has got.

"He was kicked, I think it was by Koscielny, he knocks out everybody in our team!

"So we have to see how he responds to that in the next days, but he cannot walk at the moment."

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