Arsenal star will miss France’s match against Australia thanks to a calf strain.
Arsenal defender Laurent Koscielny has been ruled out of France’s game against Australia with a strained calf, according to Le Parisien and BT Sport journalist Julien Laurens.
Laurent Koscielny is out for the France-Australia game tomorrow. Strained calf. Not too serious according to Deschamps. #edf #bleus
— Julien Laurens (@LaurensJulien) October 10, 2013
Although only a friendly encounter, Koscielny’s absence will be keenly felt by France manager Didier Deschamps.
The match is a crucial one for France, as they are on the edge of a seeding position for the playoff qualification round, meaning there could be a difference between facing a bigger team in their final chance to qualify.
France play friendly v Australia on Friday but need a win. Those FIFA rankings points could be what gets them seeded for WC play-off draw.
— danlevy1 (@danlevy1) October 9, 2013
Koscielny is expected to recover in time for France’s second match of the international break against Finland on Tuesday, with Arsenal fans likely praying he will not be rushed back into action prematurely and aggravate the injury.
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