Theo Walcott to miss crucial World Cup qualifiers

Arsenal winger Theo Walcott will miss England's decisive World Cup qualifiers against Montenegro and Poland as he will undergo abdominal surgery on Wednesday. Walcott did not play in Arsenal's win against Stoke on Sunday despite being named in the team earlier. "Theo will be out for a few weeks," said Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger. "He has developed some damage to his posterior abdominal wall. It's not a hernia, but it's a little structural problem in his abdomen." England will face Montenegro on 11 October, before completing their qualification group fixtures against Poland four days later and Roy Hodgson's men need to win both matches in order to guarantee qualification for Brazil 2014. Walcott has suffered with a similar injury before, having withdrawn from the England squad with a pelvic muscle problem in March and he was out for three weeks back then. Wenger was quick to brush away any major concerns though, adding: "He will have the procedure in Germany on Wednesday and, because it's so minor, we can begin his rehab immediately. We are pleased it's being dealt with quickly and he shouldn't miss too many Arsenal matches. But he will miss the forthcoming international matches with England." England are 1/3 at Bet365 to win World Cup Qualifying Group H while Ukraine are 11/4 and Montenegro are 10/1.