Man update ahead of Sporting CP clash

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has revealed that Gabriel will be fit to face Sporting CP in the Champions League on Tuesday.

The Gunners’ centre-back went off injured in the north London club’s shock 2-1 FA Cup defeat by Southampton over Easter weekend, and he was replaced by William Saliba , who sat on the bench at St Mary’s with Arteta hoping to rest the Frenchman.

That, however, was stunted when Gabriel went down with what appeared to be a problem with his right knee.

The central defender had already pulled out of international duty with Brazil over concerns with his left knee.

Now, however, he will be fit when Arsenal make the trip to the Jose Avalade Stadium tomorrow.

When asked whether Gabriel would be available to play against Sporting, Arteta simply replied: “Yes.”
The Spaniard also gave an update on Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice, who both returned from England duty early.

The pair were recalled for ‘medical assessments’ ahead of the second friendly against Japan, where the Three Lions lost 1-0.

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It meant that neither featured at all for Thomas Tuchel over the recent international break, but Rice looks ready to return to action after he was seen in training on Monday morning, as too was Leandro Trossard.

Both Rice and Trossard are available and set to be in the squad in Lisbon on Tuesday night.

Saka, however, was not part of the session, and neither was Jurrien Timber.

"They haven't travelled in yet," Arteta said.

"Let's see, hopefully they're going to be ready for the weekend, if everything goes well.

"That's a massive boost because in recent days we've lost so many important players and that's something that we need to change immediately."
Timber and Piero Hincapie were the other two Arsenal players to pull out of their respective international camps with injury concerns.

Timber, the Dutch right-back, missed the Carabao Cup final defeat by Manchester City with an ankle problem, and remainded with his club rather than going away with the Netherlands to prioritise his recovery.

Hincapie missed the game against Southampton at the weekend having sat out Ecuador’s draw with the Netherlands, returning to Arsenal to get an unspecified injury assessed .

Two players that the Gunners will definitely be without in Lisbon are Eberechi Eze and Mikel Merino, with the pair out with calf and foot injuries respectively.