Arsenal's Sanchez may be fit for Sunderland clash

Arsenal head coach Arsene Wenger on Monday did not rule out forward Alexis Sanchez from being fit to play against Sunderland in an English Premier League (EPL) game on Tuesday but admitted the Chilean's thigh injury doesn't "look too good".

"Yesterday it didn't look too good, but with him you never know," Wenger said, as posted by Arsenal website.

"He's so keen. Maybe it was just a kick (on his thigh). It could be a possibility that he recovers for tomorrow."

Centre-back Laurent Koscielny also has "a little problem" with his calf after the Stoke City match, Wenger said, while Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is sidelined with a hamstring injury.

"We'll see how he has recovered today," he said.

Sanchez is Arsenal's leading scorer and assist maker this season. He has 26 goals and 15 assists in all competitions.

"At the start, he was a player mainly focused on scoring goals," Wenger said. "He developed his assist potential with us very well and now he plays in a position where he can provide as well as score.

"He's become a complete player and has developed very well here at Arsenal Football Club. Of course, it's an exceptional achievement and I would like to say that, to score and provide in double figures, you need to be a special player."

Arsenal must beat Sunderland to keep any hopes of finishing in the top four alive.

"Our chances depend on winning our games. We have 69 points, we can get to 75. That will be four points more than last year, so let's focus on finishing as well as we can," Wenger said.

"We have created a momentum again. We had a difficult period and we recovered from it. ... I'm very positive because it looks like we've got stronger in every single game. Against us, the other teams fight and we have to dig deep every time to win the games. We've won six of our last seven games and we have created the momentum again after having a period where we were not stable away from home."

Wenger again dodged questions about his future. "I believe finishing outside the top four will not have any influence on the way the club will be led and how we will behave on the transfer market," he said. "I just think that if we finish outside the top four, it will maybe be down to one point.

"One point would be difficult to swallow but that should not as well change the judgment on the quality of the team to a way where you think you have absolutely to change everything. It will mean just keep the same focus to try to strengthen the squad. We know where it has to be and that's what the club will have to do."

--IANS

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