Arsenal injury news: Laurent Koscielny could return but Olivier Giroud suspended for trip to West Ham

Giroud was sent-off in the 2-1 win over QPR while Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain faces a late fitness test

Olivier Giroud is shown a straight red card by referee Martin Atkinson after head-butting Nedum Onouha (Getty Images)

Arsenal will be without Olivier Giroud for their Premier League matches against West Ham and Southampton plus the FA Cup third round tie with Hull after he was sent-off in the 2-1 win over Queens Park Rangers on Boxing Day.

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Giroud saw a moment of madness cost him dear as his reactionary head-butt on Nedum Onouha earned him a straight red card and a three-match ban to add to the lengthy list of first-team players missing for the Gunners’ trip to Upton Park.

Aaron Ramsey (hamstring), Mikel Arteta (calf), Mesut Özil (knee), Abou Diaby (calf), Jack Wilshere (ankle) and Serge Gnabry (knee) all remain sidelined and are ruled out of the match against the fifth-placed Hammers, who are coming off a 2-0 defeat to league leaders Chelsea.

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There is some good news for Arsene Wenger though in that Laurent Koscielny could be fit enough to return to the Arsenal defence after suffering a calf injury, with both Mathieu Debuchy and Nacho Monreal being deployed alongside Per Mertesacker in their last two outings.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain faces a late fitness test having missed the win over Rangers with a groin injury that he picked up late in the draw with Liverpool before Christmas.

Oxlade-Chamberlain faces a late fitness test (Getty Images)

Arsenal face West Ham at 3pm on Sunday 28 December, and a win will see them overtake the Hammers into fifth. Should Southampton suffer defeat against Chelsea, Arsenal will break into the top-four with a win for the first time since the start of November.