Arsenal star Gabriel Martinelli is performing well for club and country, and ahead of Brazil’s clash with Argentina, he has now praised striker Gabriel Jesus.
The pair are both expected to start at the Maracana against Brazil’s bitter rivals in what promises to be a heated clash, despite Jesus missing the last few games with injury.
Jesus has missed significant chunks of this season, but when he has played he has been terrific. His last game saw him produce a stunning assist for Martinelli, whilst also scoring himself, as Arsenal won away at Sevilla in the Champions League.
Martinelli praises Arsenal teammate Gabriel Jesus
Speaking in a press conference with the Brazil National Team, Martinelli highlighted the qualities of his Arsenal teammate, labelling him as one of the world’s best strikers.
“He’s a guy I consider highly, he’s a brother to me, we’ve created a great friendship,” he stated.
“He is one of the best centre forwards in the world. I hope he also works very well here in the Selecao, as he is doing at Arsenal, so that we can bring joy to the Brazilian fans.”
Gabriel Jesus and Martinelli’s partnership
Since the £265k-a-week attacker arrived last season, Arsenal’s best football has come with the Brazilian pair alongside Bukayo Saka in the front-three, despite having the impressive Leandro Trossard in the squad.
Jesus and Martinelli link up particularly well, with Martinelli offering a speedy outlet in perfect tandem with the 26-year-old dropping deep and creating chances.
Martinelli’s goal against Sevilla was a perfect example of this, as Jesus produced an outrageous bit of skill before sending a through-ball to Martinelli, who used his pace to round the goalkeeper and score.
Jesus has been criticised at times for his finishing, with some claiming that Arsenal need a new striker to compete at the top of the table, but aside from his ability in front of goal, in terms of contributing to build-up play Jesus is one of the best in the world.
He is especially useful for Martinelli to play off of, and Wednesday’s match against Lionel Messi’s side will see the Arsenal pair link up on the international stage.
Brazil fell to a defeat against Colombia last week, in a game which saw Real Madrid attacker Vinicius Junior withdrawn with injury, and Jesus was not fit to start.
It is now expected that he will be thrown straight in as a direct replacement up front, and he will have the chance to endear himself to the Brazilian fans if he can deliver in such a big game whilst key stars are missing.
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