London, Nov 25 (IANS): Olivier Giroud will miss both of Arsenal's remaining UEFA Champions League group matches after the club kept him out of the squad, acting on medical reports that suggested he would be unavailable until January.
Giroud injured his ankle August 23 and was not expected to return until January, after all the group fixtures had taken place, reports Xinhua.
Clubs can only register 25 players for the Champions League group matches, which must be submitted by Sep 2 and include eight home-grown players.
Arsenal's squad for the upcoming two matches was announced Monday.
Arsenal need just one point from their remaining two games to qualify for the knockout stages and Giroud could be included for the rest of the competition, with the next squad announcement due by Feb 3.