Arsenal's Mustafi to miss Watford match

Arsenal centre-back Shkodran Mustafi has been ruled out of action for this weekend’s Premier League clash with Watford.

The defender was forced from the field after 36 minutes of Germany’s World Cup qualifier clash with Azerbaijan on Sunday, which the world champions went on to win 5-1.

The exact extent of the injury, or the exact details, have yet to emerge; however, with contrasting reports surfacing.  

Sky Sports have stated that Mustafi is suffering from hamstring trouble, while Germany manager Joachim Lowe was initially quoted as saying the defender has ligament damage.

"It doesn't look good, it looks like he had torn a ligament," said Lowe. "We're waiting for a full diagnosis, but it looks like he will be out for a while."

The Mirror are reporting that Mustafi will be sidelined for seven weeks with a potential thigh tear, with Lowe again quoted, this time saying "with Mustafi it seems that it is muscle tear or some muscle-fibre tear. In any case it could force him to a longer break".

Mustafi is certain to miss this Saturday’s clash with Watford, with the exact nature of the injury to be revealed after a full assessment by the Arsenal medical team, who are currently awaiting test results.

Premier League football returns this weekend and you can see Watford take on Arsenal at Vicarage Road on the eir Sport pack, live on BT Sport 1 on Saturday, 14 October [kick-off 5.30pm].

Image: Getty Images/Dean Mouhtaropoulos.

eir Sport channels are available across the eir Vision, Sky and Vodafone TV platforms as well as on the eir Sport app. All 7 channels in the eir Sport pack are available for free if you are a residential eir broadband customer.