Arsenal have confirmed that key midfielder Granit Xhaka is facing three months on the sidelines with the knee injury he sustained against Tottenham Hotspur.
The Switzerland captain completed 82 minutes of that 3-1 win in the North London derby, but Spurs attacker Lucas Moura collided into him following an initial challenge from Thomas Partey.
The Gunners confirmed on Wednesday that Xhaka suffered a "significant" injury to the medial ligament in his right knee, after he was pictured with his leg in a brace on social media following the win over Nuno Espirito Santo's side.
As a result, Xhaka is not expected to play again before 2022 and is facing a race to be fit for some of Arsenal's crunch clashes in January, and here, Sports Mole looks at the games that Xhaka is set to miss through injury.
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After completing a three-game ban for his red card against Manchester City, Granit Xhaka was thrown straight back into Mikel Arteta's starting lineup for the North London derby and will be a huge miss in the coming months.
The Gunners begin October with a challenging trip to high-flying Brighton & Hove Albion this weekend before home clashes with Crystal Palace and Aston Villa, while Leeds United also lie in wait in the EFL Cup fourth round before a trip to Leicester City the day before Halloween.
Also an ever-present for Switzerland, Xhaka will miss next month's World Cup qualifiers against Northern Ireland and Lithuania as well as November's fixtures with Italy and Bulgaria, with his national team currently second in UEFA Group C.
The testing fixtures come thick and fast for Arsenal in November, who can look ahead to relatively friendly battles with Watford and Newcastle United either side of away matches with Liverpool and Manchester United.
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Xhaka's chances of returning before the year ends are slim to none, but Arsenal do not face one of the established "Big Six" sides in the Premier League in December, with their Boxing Day clash coming at Carrow Road against Norwich City.
As things stand, Xhaka could have an outside chance of returning for the New Year's Day clash at home to Manchester City, and Arteta will certainly want him back in the fold for the trip to Tottenham on January 15 in what would be a fitting comeback game.
Should Arsenal progress in the EFL Cup, the 29-year-old is sure to miss December's quarter-finals and will be fighting an uphill battle to return for the semi-finals, which take place in the first two weeks of January, as well as the third round of the FA Cup.
With the former Borussia Monchengladbach still dividing opinion in the Arsenal fanbase anyway, the stage is set for Albert Sambi Lokonga or Ainsley Maitland-Niles to star alongside Partey in what remains of 2021.
Ben Knapton
