Arsenal, the Premier League title-chasing team, has been hit with a series of injuries that have seen six of their first-team players withdraw from international duty. This comes at a crucial time as the international window begins this week.
Brazilian defender Gabriel Magalhaes is the latest player to pull out due to injury. The Brazil Football Federation (CBF) announced that he would miss friendlies against France and Croatia in the United States due to "pain in his right knee". Imaging tests confirmed this injury for the 28-year-old who recently played a full 90 minutes in Arsenal's 2-0 loss against Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final.
In a significant blow to their respective national teams, six players from the title-chasing Arsenal football club have withdrawn or been deemed unavailable for international duty due to injuries. This development comes as the international window of friendly matches is set to begin this week.
Gabriel Magalhaes out with knee injury
Brazilian defender Gabriel Magalhaes is the latest player to withdraw. The Brazil Football Federation (CBF) announced that Gabriel would miss friendlies against France and Croatia in the United States due to "pain in his right knee". Imaging tests confirmed this injury for the 28-year-old who played a full 90 minutes in Arsenal's recent 2-0 loss against Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final.
Gabriel isn't alone; several other key players are also unavailable:
- William Saliba, another centre-back for Arsenal, has withdrawn from France's squad. The French team will be travelling to the US for friendly matches against Brazil and Colombia.
- Eberechi Eze, England midfielder was called up by Thomas Tuchel but had to withdraw due to a calf problem sustained during Arsenal’s Champions League victory over Bayer Leverkusen. His teammate Ben White has since been called up by Tuchel as reinforcement.
- Leandro Trossard is out of Belgium’s squad because of an undisclosed injury issue. Club captain Martin Odegaard and Dutch defender Jurrien Timber were already ruled out due to knee injuries.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta confirmed that they are awaiting another scan on Eze's calf problem which caused him to miss Sunday’s Wembley defeat.
Impact on Premier League title chase
These withdrawals come at a critical time when Arsenal leads second-placed Manchester City by nine points in their quest for their first Premier League title in 22 years. The Gunners are set to resume their league campaign on April 11 against Bournemouth at Emirates Stadium.
Before that, they will face Southampton in the FA Cup quarter-finals on April 4 and Sporting in the Champions League quarter-final first leg on April 7.
The absence of these key players could potentially impact Arsenal's performance both domestically and internationally. However, it also presents an opportunity for other squad members to step up and fill the void left by their injured teammates. As sports fans and betting enthusiasts watch closely, only time will tell how this situation unfolds.
