• Champions League

We're not stretched at the back, insists Wenger

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has rejected the idea that his team are facing a defensive crisis as they begin their campaign in the Champions League group stage.

They face Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday without Mathieu Debuchy, who was suspended and is now injured, Nacho Monreal because of a back problem and tonsilitis giving Calum Chambers only a 50-50 chance of playing.

But Wenger said: "I don't feel we are stretched. The Debuchy [ankle] injury put us in a position where we do not want more and hopefully we have good news after the scan that he can be back soon.

Familiarity nullifies German trio

Per Mertesacker, Lukas Podolski and Mesut Ozil won the World Cup with Germany © Getty Images

• Arsene Wenger says any benefit of arriving in Dortmund with three German internationals in Arsenal's squad - Per Mertesacker, Mesut Ozil and Lukas Podolski - is offset by the familiarity between the club rivals.
• It is the third time in four seasons they have clashed and Wenger said: "It's not such an advantage to have three German players in the squad because we know Dortmund anyway. We play them each year! The main threats in the Champions League will still be the German and Spanish teams."

"We have Chambers who can play in different positions, Monreal who can play centre-back and Hector Bellerin, who I think now is ready to play."

Bellerin is a 19-year-old Spaniard who is one of the club's fastest players but his experience has been mostly with the youth team and from a loan spell at Watford.

He has played only 26 minutes of competitive first-team football for Arsenal, in the League Cup, although he visited New York with the club in pre-season and features in the Emirates Cup.

"He's a boy with personality who isn't fazed by the pressure," Wenger said. "That's a very important quality when you're a young boy playing at a big club. His transition game is fantastic. He's very quick and his final ball is good as well.

"He lacks a bit of experience as a defender, but he's very dangerous going forward."

Kieran Gibbs will start at left-back in place of Monreal at Dortmund and Mathieu Flamini is an option to fill the potential gap on the right of defence.

However, Wenger's failure to add to his squad at the back during the summer - he signed Chambers but sold Thomas Vermaelen - may now come back to haunt him with Debuchy facing an extended spell in the treatment room.

The Frenchman was stretchered off with ligament damage in Saturday's 2-2 draw with Manchester City at the Emirates Stadium and reportedly could be missing for up to three months.

Arsenal keeper Wojciech Szczesny is disappointed by the loss of Debuchy, but is happy to play behind a rejigged defence.

"It's very disappointing to lose such an important player," Szczesny said. "He's had a very strong start to the season and is a very experienced right-back. Hopefully he'll be back as soon as possible."

Mathieu Debuchy could be out for up to three months with an ankle injury © Getty Images

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