By Frank Ulom
LONDON (CONVERSEER) – Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has provided an injury update on defender Gabriel Magalhães ahead of their Premier League encounter against Crystal Palace at the Emirates Stadium.
Gabriel, popularly known as “Big Gabi,” was forced off in the second half during the Gunners’ 4–0 win over Atlético Madrid, a game in which he both scored and assisted. Speaking during his pre-match press conference on Friday, Arteta confirmed that the Brazilian’s availability for the weekend fixture remains uncertain.
“Big Gabi had to leave the pitch with an issue and he hasn’t been able to train yet, so let’s see how he evolves in the next 24 hours to see whether he’s available or not for the weekend,” Arteta said.
The Arsenal boss also delivered updates on other key players currently sidelined with injuries, including captain Martin Ødegaard, Noni Madueke, Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz. He revealed that while all four are making progress in their recovery, none will be fit to return to action within the next week.
“They are progressing really well. They are starting to do certain activities. They are all super willing to be available as quickly as possible, but at the moment, none of them are yet in contention in the next week or so,” Arteta explained at the Sobha Realty Training Centre.
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Gabriel has been a key figure in Arsenal’s impressive defensive form this season, helping the team concede only three goals across all competitions. Arteta, however, stressed the importance of maintaining consistency and continuing to improve.
“The defensive record is very good, but we need to be consistent; it’s only just the start of the season. The aim is to continue improving things, which we can still do a lot of, to do even better,” he said.
Arsenal will be looking to extend their strong start to the 2025/26 campaign with another commanding display against Crystal Palace.
