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Arsenal first-choice goalkeeper Manuel Almunia was undergoing a fitness test on his injured finger on Friday to see whether he could take over from under-fire Lukasz Fabianski against Sunderland. William Gallas misses the match and will be out for a further fortnight with a calf strain. Abou Diaby is out with a knee injury and Alex Song looks set to return after also being sidelined with a knee problem. Meanwhile, Robin van Persie's return from ankle damage will not be until the end of April at the earliest according to manager Arsene Wenger. | |||||
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Sunderland could potentially be without six midfielders as they look to end a run of 12 Premier League games without a win. Jordan Henderson (ankle), Andy Reid (hamstring), Lee Cattermole and David Meyler (both suspended) are all certain to miss the clash at the Emirates Stadium, with Steed Malbranque (chest) unlikely to play given he is still being monitored by the club's medical staff after being substituted during the draw with Portsmouth on February 9. Fellow midfielder Kieran Richardson (calf) has resumed training but faces a race against time to be fit, with defenders Anton Ferdinand (ankle) and John Mensah (hamstring) also touch and go. Striker Fraizer Campbell should start on the bench after shaking off a hamstring problem. | |||||