Riccardo Calafiori and Gabriel Magalhaes - Arsenal
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Arsenal have received a significant injury boost ahead of their Premier League clash with Everton on Saturday. The Gunners have endured an injury-plagued season, with several first-team players missing crucial matches due to suspensions and fitness issues.
Currently, five defenders remain sidelined, including Gabriel Magalhaes and summer signing Riccardo Calafiori. However, Mikel Arteta will be relieved to have positive news on Gabriel, who has been battling a muscle injury that kept him out of action for the past three fixtures.
The Brazilian defender was last seen in Arsenal’s starting lineup during their Premier League match against West Ham last month. However, he was substituted at halftime for Jakub Kiwior after aggravating an injury sustained in a Champions League outing against Sporting CP. Gabriel has since missed matches against Manchester United, Fulham, and Monaco.
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According to The Daily Mail, the 26-year-old is close to recovery and is expected to be available for the Everton game. Meanwhile, Riccardo Calafiori is also in contention but remains a major doubt for Saturday’s fixture.
🚨Arsenal are hopeful Gabriel Magalhães will be fit to return against Everton on Saturday.
The player has missed Arsenal’s last three games with a hamstring injury, but is close to returning, despite not being risked in the 3-0 win over Monaco last night.
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Manager Mikel Arteta has attributed the spate of injuries to the cumulative impact of a congested schedule and international commitments. Speaking ahead of Arsenal’s midweek Champions League victory over Monaco.
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Arteta said: “Well, it’s a knock-on effect. We have a lot of joint injuries that are very difficult to predict. We have some through tackles that are, again, quite difficult to predict. The other one is probably overload – the amount of minutes played. The knock-on effect of not having one or two players available puts more strain and minutes on somebody else. That’s not ideal because it increases the risk for everyone else.”
Despite their injury woes, Arsenal have remained in strong form, going unbeaten in their last five matches across all competitions, winning four and scoring an impressive 16 goals while conceding just four.
Following the Everton clash, the Gunners will shift their focus to the Carabao Cup, where they face Crystal Palace in the round of 16 on December 18.
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