From BBC Sport

Arsenal midfielder Robert Pires could miss the entire Christmas programme after picking up an injury against West Ham on Saturday. Pires, one of Arsenal's best players this season, could be out for three weeks with a calf injury sustained in the 1-1 draw at Upton Park.

That would keep him out of three huge games against sides in good form:

Arsenal's home game with Newcastle on Tuesday;

The crucial top-of-the-table showdown with Liverpool on 23 December;

The game against London rivals Chelsea on Boxing Day. It was another blow for Wenger who was without the injured Ray Parlour and Fredrik Ljungberg for the West Ham game.

-- Anonymous, December 15, 2001

Answers

Arsenal Positive

-- Anonymous, December 15, 2001

Now if we could just figure out how to get rid of Ljunberg and Henry before Tues...

-- Anonymous, December 15, 2001

Generally i think he is a great player, so for him to miss Tuesday's miss will truly benifit us. I would rather see Henry miss the game though....Henry versus Dabz can be a f**king nighmare.

-- Anonymous, December 15, 2001

But Henry is nowt without someone to make chances for him.

Take away Pires and you take away one of his major providers.

Vieira is the one that we need to miss the game the most though :(

-- Anonymous, December 15, 2001

You have a point there Paul. Vieira is the heart of the team and he controls very much of the teams movement. He will be hard to stop...

-- Anonymous, December 15, 2001

Ljungberg was injured at the weekend as was Parlour - let's hope Inamoto plays :-)

-- Anonymous, December 17, 2001

Their 'keeper is apparently quite weak on crosses my Arsenal supporting friend tells me.

Should be quite an open game if their last two home games are anything to go by (Villa and Charlton I think)

-- Anonymous, December 17, 2001

Parlour is back in Pires is likely to return after his injury isn't as bad as first thought.

Bollocks. I'm really not looking forward to tommorow night's game. I know we've been playing well and all that, but you can't "grind out a result" against Arsenal, you have to either be better than them or hope Vieira gets sent off after 12 seconds.

-- Anonymous, December 17, 2001