Now Szczesny’s Crocked

The injury-curse blighting Arsenal’s season struck again on Monday when goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny pulled out of the Poland squad for two upcoming friendlies against South Korea and Belarus with a bad back.

Szczesny, 21, who has played six time for Poland, was due to meet up with his international team mates this week but the official Polish FA website (www.pzpn.pl) said in a statement that coach Franciszek Smuda had called up Genk goalkeeper Grzegorz Sandomierski as his replacement.

Szczesny, 21, was in the Arsenal team beaten 2-1 by arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur in the North London derby on Sunday, coming in for some criticism for conceding Tottenham’s 73rd minute winner when he allowed Kyle Walker’s long-range shot to elude his grasp.

Szczesny will now join his Arsenal team mates Laurent Koscielny, Thomas Vermaelen, Johan Djourou, Abou Diaby andJack Wilshere on the sidelines as well as Bacary Sagna who suffered a broken leg against Spurs on Sunday.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger will be hoping that all but Wilshere and Sagna, who face five and three months out respectively, will be back for Arsenal’s next League match at home to Sunderland in two weeks’ time.

Poland, who co-host Euro 2012 with Ukraine next summer, have qualified automatically for the finals and are travelling to South Korea for a friendly on Friday before an away match in Belarus on Oct. 11.

Attacking midfielder Ludovic Obraniak of Lille is also out of the squad with an injury and has been replaced by Janusz Gol of Legia Warsaw.