Double blow for Arsenal

Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas will be missing for two weeks after picking up a hamstring injury in his side’s 2-0 Champions League loss to Braga.

And in a further blow to the London club’s stocks, Emmanuel Eboue will be out of action for a month after suffering a medial ligament strain in his knee.

Manager Arsene Wenger said it had been a risk to play captain Fabregas on Tuesday in Portugal, where a win would have given Arsenal passage into the Champions League knockout stages.

But now they find themselves in a dogfight with Braga, with both sides on nine points ahead of the final matchday.

“It’s disappointing because I had a hesitation to play him but I took the gamble and it backfired on us,” Wenger said.

“Fabregas will be assessed. After that we can tell how long he will be out, but I count two weeks.”

“Eboue has a medial knee ligament strain. I think it will be four weeks.”

Wenger conceded this latest hamstring concern for Fabregas may affect how he uses his skipper in coming months.

“It is a big blow because it will question how cautious we have to be in the future with him,” he said.

“Cesc has played 50 games a year since a young age. We may have to be more cautious with him, especially in the next two months.”

Arsenal play Group H’s bottom side Partizan Belgrade at home in their final Champions League game, while Braga travel to the Ukraine to take on group leaders Shakhtar Donetsk.

The Gunners travel to Aston Villa in the English Premier League on Saturday.