Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is set to send an SOS to Sebastien Squillaci for their clash with Sunderland.
The Daily Mail says the Gunners were already sweating on the fitness of captain Thomas Vermaelen's ankle injury before the players left for international duty, where fellow centre-half Laurent Koscielny limped off during France's defeat to Germany in Paris with a reported calf problem.
Should both men fail to recover in time for the trip to the Stadium of Light, then out-of-favour Sebastien Squillaci or Spanish 20-year-old Ignasi Miquel could have to step in to the heart of the defence alongside Per Mertesacker.