Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has confirmed that Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will only be back after the next international break.
The Englishmen both suffered an injury against Sheffield Wednesday in the League Cup in mid-week.
And according to the Frenchman, international games could be a reason why the two suffered muscular injuries.
"Nothing has changed since after the game [for Walcott and Oxlade-Chamberlain]," Wenger told reporters.
"They are out but the scans are today - it's 48 hours afterwards. We hope they are light injuries, but they are out until after the international break.
"I believe the quickest back will be Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Theo Walcott might be a fraction longer.
"[Why two injuries in one game?] That is always a question we have to answer when we have injuries.
"We have to analyse every single case and every single exercise and I think you have to not over-analyse when players are injured. When a player is injured, they are injured, this has always happened.
"We have not too many muscular injuries but it is post-international games when we get all these injuries so is it linked with that? I don't know.
"We have two kind of injuries - the injuries who will be coming back after Christmas, which is Rosicky, Wilshere and Welbeck.
"[Then] we have the short-term injuries. Most of them like Arteta, Ramsey, Oxlade-Chamberlain should be back after the international break."
