Arsenal sweats on Gabriel fitness ahead of Palace clash. The defensive stability of Arsenal gets another test since. Arsenal sweats on central defender Gabriel Magalhaes as his presence is a big uncertainty in the upcoming Premier League game with Crystal Palace on Sunday. A second-half injury in the midweek win in the champions league over Atletico Madrid forced off the Brazilian. He has not trained since, leaving manager Mikel Arteta to deal with a late fitness issue.
A Late Decision
It is unclear. Arteta said they would wait the defender to get monitoring within the last 24 hours before the match. After which he would take action. Arteta admitted in pre-match press conference that Big Gabi had to pull out of the pitch due to a problem. Moreover, he was not at the position of training. So we shall hear how he develops within the next 24 hours. Whether he will or will not be available at any rate during the weekend. The nature of the injury has been reported to be a problem with the thigh.
A Potential Replacements Await
The possible missing of Gabriel will be a huge setback to a defence. They have already achieved a record of just three goals conceded in eight games in the league. This puts them in the path of the all-time defensive record of the premier leagues held by Chelsea. Should he be disqualified, summer signings are on the bench to fill in. Cristhian Mosquera that came in to replace Gabriel on the occasion of the Atletico game is one of the possible alternatives to accompany William Saliba having received accolades on his adjustment by Arteta. Alternatively, there is Pedro Hincapie, whose aggressive Ecuadorian defender is now fit and ready to come into action in case of need.
Injury Woes Elsewhere
The update on the remaining injury squad was less urgent. Arteta indicated that Martin Odegaard, Noni Madueke, Kai Havertz, and Gabriel Jesus were all doing well but not close to competing in the next matches. The team now hopes that the problem with Gabriel is not too significant since his presence has played a significant role in their strong defensive backbone this season.
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