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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Sport
Tashan Deniran-Alleyne

Arsenal handed injury boost for Sporting CP clash after new five-man update

Declan Rice during a training session at the Sobha Realty Training Centre - (AFP via Getty Images)

Arsenal have been handed boost after Gabriel trained ahead of the Champions League quarter-final first leg against Sporting CP.

Gabriel was forced off during Arsenal’s FA Cup defeat to Southampton at the weekend and while he did not go straight down the tunnel after being replaced by William Saliba, he was spotted with ice strapped to his left leg.

Furthermore, Mikel Arteta delivered a worrying update when asked about the Brazilian defender afterwards.

He said: "I don't know - he felt something.

"Don't know exactly what it is but we're going to have to assess him. Obviously when a player is asking to be substituted, it's never good news."

Gabriel, though, looks set to be available for selection against Sporting as the Gunners aim to get back on track after suffering successive losses to Manchester City and Southampton.

Leandro Trossard and Declan Rice, meanwhile, both took part in Monday morning’s session at the Sobha Realty Training Centre in London Colney, with the squad due to fly out to Portugal later in the afternoon.

However, there was no sighting of Bukayo Saka or Jurrien Timber which suggests they are set to miss out.

Arsenal manager Arteta will face the media in Lisbon at 6.45pm BST where he will likely provide an update on whether Saka and Timber will be in line for a return to action ahead of next week’s second leg at the Emirates Stadium.

As expected, Eberechi Eze, Piero Hincapie and Mikel Merino were all absent from the pre-Sporting training session because of injury.

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