Arsenal right-back Noelle Maritz has pulled out for the Switzerland squad for their Euro 2022 qualification game against Belgium next Tuesday (December 1) with a knee injury.

The Swiss football association confirmed that she pulled out on Monday evening with a statement reading: “Noelle Maritz, Naomi Mégroz and Melanie Huber will not play in the European Championship qualifier against Belgium.

“For Arsenal defender Noelle Maritz, the game against Belgium comes too early after her knee injury. Naomi Mégroz from Bundesliga club SC Freiburg does not travel to the national team for sporting reasons and the captain of FC Basel Melanie Huber doesn’t travel to the national team for private reasons.”

Maritz last played in the Women’s Super League in Arsenal’s 3-1 win against Bristol City on October 4 as she came on for Leah Williamson for the final fifteen minutes.

Maritz joined the Gunners in the summer from German champions and Champions League runners up VFL Wolfsburg and has made an instant impact in north London.

Lia Wälti and Malin Gut however are in the Swiss squad for that game against Belgium as Switzerland need a point to qualify for the finals in England in 2022

Wälti has been praising Gut as she told Arsenal.com on their understanding of one another’s games: “I obviously knew her a bit before because I’m always watching the national team under-17s and under-19s to see what talents we have.

“Malin was always one of the better players in the youth national teams, so I knew she was going to be in the senior team pretty quick.

“I think it was two years ago when she came up and played her first games, and she’s just someone who really impressed me from the start.

“You can’t really see that she isn’t as experienced because she’s pretty calm, she looks really confident on the ball and that was really impressive to see from a young player.”

“There are many young players who are maybe still a bit wild or don’t really have the structure in their game yet, but she really brought that from the first moment.

“That’s why she impressed me from the start, “I didn’t tell Joe not to get Malin, I was definitely one of the people who said she had a really big talent.”