Arsenal hit by Adebayor absence

Arsenal FC will be without Emmanuel Adebayor for the next three weeks after the striker suffered a hamstring injury that will keep him out of his side's UEFA Champions League first knockout round first-leg meeting with AS Roma on 24 February.

Tottenham match
The 24-year-old had to be substituted 38 minutes into Sunday's north London derby at Tottenham Hotspur FC, which Arsenal drew 0-0. As well as missing the Roma opener, he will also be sidelined for Premier League encounters with Sunderland AFC and Fulham FC as well as the Gunners' FA Cup fifth-round replay with Cardiff City FC.

Replacement options
Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger replaced Adebayor with Nicklas Bendtner at White Hart Lane and hinted that new Russian signing Andrei Arshavin may fill in up front, despite not having played a competitive match in two months. "Adebayor is out for three weeks with a hamstring," confirmed the Frenchman. "We have Carlos Vela, we have Nicklas Bendtner, we have Eduardo [da Silva], we have Andrei Arshavin and we have Robin van Persie. We have plenty of strikers."