Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has provided a fresh injury update ahead of Tuesday’s crucial UEFA Champions League quarter-final first leg against Portuguese side Sporting CP.
The Gunners head into the tie on the back of two straight defeats across all competitions, including a shock 2-1 loss to Southampton in the FA Cup last weekend.
The North London club have been handed a triple injury boost ahead of the clash, with Gabriel Magalhaes, Declan Rice and Leandro Trossard all set to return after taking part in training.
Gabriel had initially returned from a knee injury that forced him out of Brazil’s squad during the March international break against Southampton, but he was forced off in the second half of the clash after feeling discomfort in his knee again.
The defender has now recovered in time and is expected to feature in Tuesday’s clash against the Portuguese side.
Rice is also in line to make his first appearance since last month’s EFL Cup final defeat to Manchester City. The midfielder withdrew from England duty and missed the Southampton game, but he is now fit and ready to return.
Trossard, meanwhile, is back after recovering from a hip injury that kept him out of Arsenal’s defeat to Southampton last weekend.
“Yes, yes and yes”, Arteta confirmed the availability of the trio when asked during Monday’s pre-match press conference in quotes revealed by football.london.
However, Arsenal will be without some of their key players for the encounter, including Bukayo Saka and Jurrien Timber, who have both been ruled out with different injury concerns.
Saka has been sidelined since withdrawing from England’s squad during the international break and will miss this clash, although there is hope he could return for the weekend game against Bournemouth.
Timber is also unavailable as he continues to recover from the ankle injury he sustained in the 2-0 win over Everton last month. The Dutch defender has missed several matches, including the EFL Cup final and the FA Cup defeat to Southampton and will not feature in the first leg clash.
“They haven’t travelled and are not ready yet, hopefully for the weekend if everything goes well”, Arteta concluded.
Despite their recent setbacks, Arsenal remain unbeaten in Europe this season and will be hoping to take a positive result from Tuesday’s clash as they continue their pursuit of a first-ever Champions League title.
