Arsenal are expected to be without Mohamed Elneny and Takehiro Tomiyasu for this weekend's FA Cup clash against Liverpool.
Elneny has already travelled to be with the Egypt squad for the Africa Cup of Nations, which starts on January 13.
Egypt have a friendly against Tanzania this Sunday in Cairo, the same day Arsenal face Liverpool at Emirates Stadium in the FA Cup third-round, and Elneny will be available to play for his country.
Tomiyasu is expected to miss the game against Liverpool too as he is set to leave for the Asian Cup on Friday.
There had been a chance the defender could play in the FA Cup and then travel, but the expectation is he now leaves before then.
Japan are holding a training camp before the Asian Cup starts in Qatar on January 12 and their first session is penciled in for this Saturday. They are also planning to hold a friendly against Jordan behind closed doors on Tuesday.
Arsenal’s squad is already stretched by injuries in defence as Oleksandr Zinchenko missed Sunday’s defeat to Fulham with a calf injury. He was due to undergo a scan on Monday to learn the full extent of the problem.
Jurrien Timber is still absent due to a knee injury picked up in the first Premier League game of the season, while Thomas Partey - who can also play at right-back - is out with a thigh injury.
Partey has been out of action since October and has been left out of Ghana’s squad for AFCON.
