Arsenal are sweating on Gabriel Magalhaes’ fitness ahead of the Champions League meeting with Real Madrid.
The Gunners’ win against Fulham was an occasion to celebrate and bemoan.
Bukayo Saka returned to action, but Arsenal’s dire injury record continued, seeing Gabriel hooked in the first half.
Gabriel clutched his hamstring and went down less than 20 minutes into the fixture, seeing anxiety take over the home supporters at the Emirates.
Arsenal’s win percentage without Gabriel Magalhaes
Arteta expressed his concern about Gabriel when speaking to the media about the Brazilian’s injury after Arsenal’s win.
With the Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid kicking off next week, hearts are in mouths as the club awaits the verdict on the extent of the defender’s injury.
Arsenal will be desperate to have Gabriel back in time to face the Champions League holders, particularly when comparing how Arteta’s side performs with and without the Brazil international.
| Arsenal win rate with Gabriel | Arsenal win rate without Gabriel |
| 63.5% | 40.9% |
Since Gabriel’s Premier League debut in 2020, the centre-back has been on the winning team for 63.50% of games, a figure that drops considerably when he is not available.
Without Gabriel, Arsenal’s win rate in the Premier League drops to 40.90%, signalling his importance to Arteta’s back line.
Next up for the Gunners come Everton and then, the first leg against Madrid, who will be licking their lips at the thought of Arsenal operating without their star defender.
What Mikel Arteta has said about Gabriel injury ahead of Real Madrid
Since joining Arsenal in 2020, Gabriel has only missed one Champions League game, being a consistently called-upon figure at the highest domestic level.
The thought of the Brazilian being unavailable to face Real Madrid is daunting, with the early verdict not looking good.
An expert commented on Gabriel’s injury, suggesting that the mechanism of the defender’s hamstring blow could see him sidelined for weeks with a strain.
It doesn’t spell good news ahead of Real Madrid, with Arteta understanding the possible severity of the situation given that Gabriel never wants to be subbed.
“They are two players in this team that never want to come off,” Arteta told the media of Jurrien Timber and Gabriel.
“Gabi felt something in his hamstring, we don’t know how big that is and with Jurrien as well, he was already struggling very early in the game.”
Arsenal will wait patiently for an update on the centre-back’s injury, with everything crossed that the outcome isn’t punishing.
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