Bayern Munich’s Mario Götze is out of action for 10-12 weeks.

The German midfielder suffered a fairly innocuous looking injury when stretching for the ball in his country’s 1-0 defeat to the Republic of Ireland on Thursday evening, but it seems the issue is worse than it first appeared.

Arsenal lost their first two Champions League group stage games against Dinamo Zagreb and Olympiacos, making the back-to-back fixtures against Bayern Munich absolutely crucial. The German champions are hoping to have both Arjen Robben and Franck Ribéry available, but Götze’s injury is another unwanted setback.

In two Champions League appearances so far this season (one start) the midfielder has managed a goal and an assist, while he has a goal and three assists in 417 minutes of Bundesliga action.

Pep Guardiola has never really found a suitable role for the attacking midfielder but seemed to be getting a little more from him this season, when he wasn’t using him as a striker.

The news is a small boost for Arsenal but with Bayern’s squad depth it could all mean very little. The Gunners, meanwhile, are hoping Laurent Koscielny wins his battle for fitness in time to face the German champions.