Report: Sanchez, Cazorla expected to miss Arsenal's next 2 matches

Arsenal's chances of advancing past the Champions League group stage were dealt a devastating blow with news that Alexis Sanchez and Santi Cazorla could miss the team's must-win encounter with Olympiacos.

The club fears that Sanchez (hamstring) and Cazorla (knee), injured during Arsenal's 1-1 tie against Norwich City on Sunday, will fail to recover from their respective injuries in time for the Dec. 9 match in Greece, according to Dominic Fifield of The Guardian.

Their expected time on the sidelines also means the duo will miss Saturday's game when Arsenal hosts Sunderland.

Arsenal has yet to officially comment on the report, with the club expected to compile further information and conduct tests on both players over the next 48 hours to determine the severity of each injury.

The North London side, however, is expected to receive one bit of encouraging news regarding injured centre-back Laurent Koscielny, as the French international's injured hip doesn't appear to be as serious as initially feared.

Koscielny, who lasted just 11 minutes before the knock forced him out of Sunday's match, is expected to return later in the week and could be ready by the time Sunderland arrives at the Emirates Stadium.