LONDON -- Arsene Wenger says Alexis Sanchez's thigh injury doesn't "look too good" but hasn't ruled out the forward from being fit to play against Sunderland on Tuesday.
Sanchez managed to score Arsenal's third goal in Saturday's 4-1 at Stoke despite struggling with a knock, and was substituted straight after.
Wenger said Arsenal's leading scorer will have a fitness test later on Monday and that Sanchez's unique physical abilities could give him a chance to play.
"Yesterday it didn't look too good, but with him you never know," Wenger told a news conference. "He's so keen. Maybe it was just a kick. It could be a possibility that he recovers for tomorrow."
Centre-back Laurent Koscielny also has "a little problem" with his calf after the Stoke game, Wenger said, while Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain remains sidelined with a hamstring injury.
Wenger said Oxlade-Chamberlain will also miss Sunday's final league game against Everton, but has an 80 percent chance of being fit for the FA Cup final against Chelsea.
Koscielny missed last week's win over Southampton because of his calf injury, but Wenger was hopeful the defender can return.
"We'll see how he has recovered today," he said.
Sanchez is Arsenal's leading scorer and assist maker this season and provided one of each against Stoke to take his total to 26 goals and 15 assists in all competitions this season.
He is the only player with double figures in both categories in the Premier League, and Wenger praised him for becoming a more complete player this season.
"At the start, he was a player mainly focused on scoring goals," Wenger said. "He developed his assist potential with us very well and now he plays in a position where he can provide as well as score.
"He's become a complete player and has developed very well here at Arsenal Football Club. Of course, it's an exceptional achievement and I would like to say that, to score and provide in double figures, you need to be a special player."
Arsenal must beat Sunderland to keep any hopes of finishing in the top four alive, although their chances of catching Liverpool or Manchester City look slim. City have to lose at least one of their last two games, while Liverpool must drop points against Middlesbrough in their season finale on Sunday for Arsenal to have any chance of a Champions League spot.
That means Arsenal face the possibility of finishing on 75 points and still ending up outside the top four, which has never happened in the Premier League before.
"Our chances depend on winning our games. We have 69 points, we can get to 75. That will be four points more than last year, so let's focus on finishing as well as we can," Wenger said.
"We have created a momentum again. We had a difficult period and we recovered from it. ... I'm very positive because it looks like we've got stronger in every single game. Against us, the other teams fight and we have to dig deep every time to win the games. We've won six of our last seven games and we have created the momentum again after having a period where we were not stable away from home."
Wenger again dodged questions about his future, but he is yet to sign a contract extension to remain in charge next season. However, he said that missing out on the Champions League for the first time in his 21-year reign would not affect his future or the club's spending power in the summer.
"I believe finishing outside the top four will not have any influence on the way the club will be led and how we will behave on the transfer market," he said. "I just think that if we finish outside the top four, it will maybe be down to one point.
"One point would be difficult to swallow but that should not as well change the judgment on the quality of the team to a way where you think you have absolutely to change everything. It will mean just keep the same focus to try to strengthen the squad. We know where it has to be and that's what the club will have to do."
Arsenal could face the prospect of even more empty seats at the Emirates on Tuesday, though, with more than one fan group considering staying away to highlight their displeasure with the team's results this season.
Several thousand seats have been empty at several of Arsenal's recent home games as ticket holders have stayed away, although the anti-Wenger marches outside the stadium have ended.
Arsenal still count every game as a sell-out and announce their attendance figures based on tickets sold. When asked if the empty seats were a concern, Wenger said he was unaware of the problem.
"I think we are always sold out so I don't know where you get that impression," he said.
When a reporter pointed out that patches of empty seats can be seen at games, Wenger added: "Yes, but that doesn't mean we are not sold out."