Injury blow for midfield duo

Alexander Hleb and Mathieu Flamini have been ruled out of Arsenal's trip to Newcastle on Wednesday, live on Sky Sports 1.

Arsene Wenger's side will now be without the services of four international midfielders. Cesc Fabregas and Abou Diaby both missed the 2-1 victory over Aston Villa on Saturday with hamstring and back injuries respectively and will not be fit in time for the journey to Tyneside.

The impressive victory at Villa Park may have maintained the Gunners' three point lead at the top of the Premier League, but it came at a price.

Hleb picked up an Achilles/hamstring problem while Flamini has suffered a recurrence of a thigh injury. Wenger is likely to bring young Brazilian Denilson back into the first team squad after injury, whilst Lassana Diarra and Gilberto Silva also provide experienced midfield options.

Hleb and Fabregas are also unlikely to be back in contention for Arsenal's game at Middlesbrough on Sunday, but there is optimism over Flamini's chances of making a swift return. Striker Robin Van Persie will not feature in either of the North East games as he is still a couple of weeks away from recovering from a knee injury.