Report: Late blow for Mikel Arteta as 'terrific' player could now miss Arsenal v Liverpool

By Shamanth Jayaram

According to Football London, Arsenal could have to do without Gabriel Magalhaes this evening when they host Liverpool at the Emirates.

The Gunners have been in fantastic form lately. They have won five Premier League games on the bounce and have lost just once in the league since the second week of December.

Mikel Arteta’s men are the favourites to finish in the top four and one of the biggest reasons why they are where they are is their solid backline.

Aaron Ramsdale and Ben White have earned a lot of plaudits this season and rightly so. However, Gabriel has been just as incredible, if not better since he returned from his injury in September.

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Gabriel Magalhaes could miss Arsenal v Liverpool

The report claims that Gabriel was not involved in training at London Colney yesterday.

Ben White, Cedric Soares, Kieran Tierney and Ramsdale have all been pictured getting ready for the big game against Liverpool, but the Brazilian was nowhere to be seen.

It has been claimed that the reason behind Gabriel’s absence could be because his girlfriend is nine months pregnant.

However, we must stress that this has not been confirmed and he could well come back and play a part, just like Nicolas Pepe did against Wolves just a few hours after he became a father.

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If Gabriel Magalhaes really is unavailable for the game tonight, it is a massive blow for Arsenal.

Labelled as a ‘terrific player’ with an ‘incredible future‘ by Arteta, the 24-year-old is one of the Gunners’ most important players.

The Brazilian has formed a fantastic partnership with White at the back and Arsenal look incredibly solid when they start together. A break in that partnership could really hurt them against Liverpool’s dangerous frontline this evening.

Arsenal take on the Reds at the Emirates and the game is scheduled to begin at 19:45 UK time.

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