Mesut Ozil picks up knee injury as Germany defeat Sweden 5-3 prompting Arsenal doubts for weekend visit of Norwich

Arsenal fans will be concerned with the news that Mesut Ozil limped out of Germany’s 5-3 victory over Sweden after he picked up a knee injury on the day he celebrated his 25th birthday.

Ozil scored the Germans opening goal just before half-time after the Swedes , taking his tally to eight for the campaign. But having impressed in his short time with the Gunners in which he has become an instant hit, his night was soured by the injury he picked up with 10 minutes left of the match.

Ozil was replaced by Schalke winger Julien Draxlker after he picked up the knock in a tackle, with the former Real Madrid and Werder Bremen midfielder heading straight down the tunnel to have further treatment.

Sweden took an early lead through Tobias Hysen but were on the back-foot for most of the first half as Germany looked to find a way back into the game. However, Sweden doubled their lead late-on through Fulham’s Alexander Kacaniklic before Ozil struck just before half-time.

Bayern Munich’s recent signing Mario Gotze came off the bench in the second half to equalise for the Germans, before Chelsea’s attacking midfielder Andre Schurrle scored twice to give them a comfortable lead.

Despite Hysen adding his second midway through the half, Schurrle completed his hat-trick to secure the win, although the Germany’s win was dampened by the injury to Ozil. Having already secured their place in next summer’s World Cup, you would have forgiven Germany for easing off a little, but the win saw them finish on 28 points – just two points off a perfect 30 after they drew 4-4 against the same opposition when they met previously.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger will be eager to find out whether Ozil will be fit to face Norwich this weekend when the Premier League resumes, although their lengthy injury list looks set to shorten with the imminent return of Santi Cazorla, who has been out with an ankle injury since the September victory over Tottenham.

However, Wenger will want Ozil available as soon as possible, with the 25-year-old proving a key figure in the Gunners rise to the top of the Premier League. He scored his first goal for the club in the impressive 2-0 Champions League victory over Napoli before the international break, though it has been his eye for an assist that has really impressed at the Emirates.

Another of Wenger’s stars who has led the way this season is Aaron Ramsey, who continued his incredible goalscoring run last night when a late goal gave Wales an impressive draw against Belgium in their final World Cup qualifier.

Ramsey’s goal was made all the more special due to Craig Bellamy’s international retirement, with the 22-year-old’s strike giving the Cardiff City forward a happy memory to bow out on after making 78 appearances for his country.