Another International break is on the horizon, and three Arsenal players have now been called up for Brazil, with Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Magalhaes in the squad.
Fernando Diniz has selected the trio of Arsenal players, as well as reported Arsenal target Andre from Fluminense, for their upcoming games against Colombia and Argentina.
Brazil find themselves five points behind Argentina in the World Cup qualifying table, and these two fixtures promise to be extremely tough.
The three Arsenal players have been selected despite Gabriel Jesus remaining absent for Arsenal with injury, and this will be a situation that Mikel Arteta monitors.
Arsenal trio called up for Brazil
Defender Gabriel has been a recent introduction into the Brazilian National Team setup, and scored his first goal for his country in a 1-1 draw with Venezuela in the last set of fixtures.
He keeps his place in the squad, and there is a return for Gabriel Martinelli, who missed the last squad through injury.
Gabriel Jesus started upfront for Brazil against Uruguay in their last game, but has missed Arsenal’s last few matches with injury, and will miss Arsenal’s Champions League clash with Sevilla tomorrow.
Diniz has nevertheless confirmed the trio as part of his squad, whilst recent pantomime villain Bruno Guimaraes is in after his controversial performance in Arsenal’s defeat to Newcastle.
Brazilian Arsenal stars
Arsenal have not had many Brazil stars over the years, but current technical director Edu Gaspar and midfield legend Gilberto Silva both appeared for their country, with Gilberto winning the 2002 World Cup.
Arsenal’s profile in Brazil may be growing, with Martinelli rapidly becoming a popular player in his home nation, and having successful stars for one of the biggest national teams in the World may be good for the players in question.
It will be interesting to see how they get on in the upcoming break, with Gabriel potentially being handed a difficult task in attempting to stop Argentina’s Lionel Messi.
Receive a digest of our best Arsenal content each week direct to your mailbox
