Arsenal confirms Laurent Koscielny's hamstring injury

Arsenal may have to get used to life without Laurent Koscielny for the foreseeable future after the defender suffered a hamstring injury Tuesday.

The French defender was forced to leave Tuesday's Champions League loss to Olympiacos following a sliding challenge and was replaced by Per Mertesacker just before the game was an hour old.

Manager Arsene Wenger confirmed the injury after the match and stressed the importance of rotating his squad - a tactic he was unable to implement during Arsenal's previous match against Leicester City, as Koscielny was forced to play because of Gabriel Paulista's one-match suspension.

"This is why I rotate as we play many games," Wenger told reporters. "The other teams do it as well.

"You look at the other teams in Europe's benches and you will see them rotate. You cannot play every three days without rotating your players That is a fact and you have to accept that."

Wenger did not provide a timeline for Koscielny's return, but the central defender figures to miss at least the next couple of league matches against Manchester United and Watford.

Arsenal will likely deploy Paulista and Mertesacker in central defence for the time being, with Calum Chambers available as an alternative option at the back.