Arsenal trio to miss Liverpool clash

Mesut Ozil, Laurent Koscielny and Olivier Giroud will all miss Arsenal's Premier League opener against Liverpool, coach Arsene Wenger has confirmed. 

The trio have not resumed training following their exploits at Euro 2016 and Wenger has since ruled them out of facing Liverpool next Sunday at the Emirates Stadium. 

Speaking after Arsenal's 8-0 friendly rout of Norwegian outfit Viking on Friday, Wenger said: "The Liverpool game will come too early for them." 

Meanwhile,the absence of Giroud leaves Wenger short on forward options, though Theo Walcott and Chuba Akpom continue to stake their claims for a starting berth. 

Theo Walcott opened his pre-season account against Viking, while Akpom maintained his fine form ahead of the new Premier League campaign after netting his third friendly goal. 

Joel Campbell and Alex Iwobi scored braces, with Santi Cazorla and an own goal inspiring the demolition at the Viking Stadion.