Arsenal's Arsene Wenger: 'Olivier Giroud likely to return for Sunderland match'

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has revealed that Olivier Giroud is expected to return to the starting lineup for tomorrow's Premier League match against Sunderland.

The Frenchman was absent from the starting XI in last weekend's FA Cup fifth-round win over Liverpool and Wednesday night's 2-0 defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League.

However, the forward, who has recently been dogged by rumours regarding his personal life, is likely to return after a resting period.

"It is likely Giroud will be involved tomorrow," Arsenal's Twitter account quotes Wenger as saying. "Resting him was part of a refreshment plan."

Meanwhile, Kieran Gibbs will not feature in tomorrow's match after getting injured during the first leg of Arsenal's Champions League tie against Bayern.