Arsenal takes on Manchester City immediately after the international break. Mikel Arteta will be concerned after one of his key players picked up an injury.
The Premier League title race looks set to go down to the wire with just one point separating the top three during the international break. Liverpool is currently second to Arsenal on goal difference, with champions Manchester City only a point behind.
Jürgen Klopp’s side could find itself back in pole position when action resumes next weekend though as Liverpool hosts Brighton, before Arsenal and City face off at the Etihad. At least one of those teams will drop points and Liverpool must make sure it is primed to capitalize.
Arsenal has been dealt a major injury concern ahead of that match though after defender Gabriel Magalhães was withdrawn from the Brazil squad ahead of the friendly with England at Wembley.
Brazil’s coach Dorival Júnio announced: “I had already communicated previously that we work with a slightly more extensive list, a pre-call, we can put it that way, and again, today, we had another casualty. Unfortunately, Gabriel Magalhães is out. In his place, we are calling Bremer, from Juventus Turin, from Italy.”
Gabriel will miss the match at Wembley and the clash with Spain at the Santiago Bernabeu on March 26. According to Football.London, the defender has withdrawn from the squad as a precaution with Arsenal’s medical team set to assess him.
Gabriel played the full 120 minutes in Arsenal’s thrilling Champions League victory over Porto last week. After the game, manager Mikel Arteta spoke to the media but did not discuss any potential injuries.
Arteta shared: “For them (his players) to do it when the club hasn’t managed to do it for 14 years, I tell you it will be a boost. The margins are so small. You find a way to do it again. I see how much they want it, how much they try and they are able to sacrifice anything to win. When you play like this at the end good things are going to come your way.”
Arsenal will be desperate to avoid a repeat of last season when it lost William Saliba for the final two months of the campaign. The Gunners had been top of the league but won just five of their next 11 league matches and ended up second to Manchester City.
Gabriel has played in 26 of Arsenal’s 28 Premier League matches this season and he and Saliba have been key to the excellent defensive record. It does only appear to be a precaution at this stage but with City coming up after the international break, Arteta will be desperate to avoid an injury lay-off. It could be a real boost for Liverpool if the Brazilian is set for a spell on the sidelines.
