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Bellerin injury leave Emery in a pickle

Cape Town - Arsenal manager Unai Emery has a defensive dilemma on his hands after losing Hector Bellerin to a thigh injury in the 2-2 draw at Crystal Palace on Sunday.

The 23-year-old right-back didn't emerge for the second-half at Selhurst Park and was replaced by veteran defender Stephan Lichtsteiner.

Emery has already been forced to use Granit Xhaka as a makeshift left-back with Nacho Monreal and Sead Kolasinac both sidelined by hamstring injuries.

Laurent Koscielny and Konstantinos Mavropanos remain unavailable, which leaves Emery with just five fit defenders - one of them being Carl Jenkinson, who hasn't played a single minute this term.

Bellerin has been ruled out of the Gunners' EFL Cup fourth-round clash with Blackpool on Wednesday and is rated doubtful for the visit of Liverpool in the Premier League on Saturday.

Mohamed Elneny was used as a centre-back by Arsene Wenger in the Europa League last season, but the Egyptian midfielder will be out of action for the next fortnight with a thigh problem.

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