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Cech to miss up to 4 weeks with calf injury

REUTERS

The news regarding injured goalkeeper Petr Cech took a turn for the worse Friday as Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger revealed the 33-year-old will miss up to four weeks because of a calf injury.

Wenger also said that Cech was suffering from a groin problem before Wednesday's loss to Swansea City, but decided to play him after the veteran net-minder declared himself fit to start.

Cech sustained the injury late in Wednesday's match after he attempted to give Arsenal an extra man in the box during a corner-kick and appeared to be in pain after racing back to his own penalty area.

"Cech will be three or four weeks (out) with a calf injury," Wenger told reporters ahead of the northern London derby against Tottenham on Saturday.

"It is a serious calf injury and he had a groin alert on the first goal and he could not kick the ball properly out because of his groin and maybe compensated a little too much and provoked another muscular injury.

"We had to make the decision before the game because he had a little groin problem but he declared himself 100 percent fit. Then you have to trust the player. He's 33 years old and he knows his body. If he says he's fit, then he is available.

"It is like it is. I focus on the future. You want the players to be tough enough to sometimes be able to play through a little pain. You're never completely perfect before a game in March."

Losing Cech means Arsenal has to rely on David Ospina for a series of matches that will likely determine its chances of winning a Premier League crown for the first time in over a decade.

Despite the Colombian's shaky start to the season, highlighted by a disastrous performance during Arsenal's Champions League loss to Olympiacos, Wenger is confident Ospina will be an adequate replacement for Cech.

"I have complete confidence in David and I'm not worried at all on that front," Wenger said. "If you look at the win rate of Ospina, it is very good as well."

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