Gabriel Martinelli to miss Arsenal’s Premier League clash with Brentford
A blow for the Gunners.
Gabriel Martinelli will miss Arsenal’s Premier League clash with Brentford on Saturday.
The 22-year-old scored in Arsenal’s 6-0 win over Sheffield United on Monday evening but was forced off in the 64th minute due to injury.
Mikel Arteta revealed after the game that the Brazil international had suffered a cut on his foot, which would be monitored this week.
However, Martinelli was not with his Arsenal teammates on the morning of the game against Brentford and has not been named in their matchday squad.
In a post on X after announcing their line-up against Brentford, Arsenal confirmed: ‘Gabriel Martinelli misses out on today’s squad due to the foot issue sustained at Sheffield United.’
Leandro Trossard replaces Martinelli in Arsenal’s attack, while Oleksandr Zinchenko returns to the bench after missing his side’s last five fixtures.
When asked about Martinelli’s availability during his press conference on Thursday, Arteta suggested that the winger would recover in time for the game against Brentford.
‘We have some players back last Monday, then we have Martinelli and Bukayo with little issues but we are pretty positive they will be part of that [team],’ Arteta said.
‘We have to wait and see how they do tomorrow [on Friday].’
ARSENAL VS BRENTFORD TEAM NEWS
Arsenal: Ramsdale, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Kiwior, Jorginho, Rice, Odegaard, Saka, Trossard, Havertz.
Subs: Hein, Cedric, Zinchenko, Partey, Vieira, Smith Rowe, Nelson, Nketiah, Jesus
Brentford: Flekken, Zanka, Ajer, Collins, Norgaard, Lewis-Potter, Janelt, Roerslev, Onyeka, Wissa, Toney
Subs: Yarmoliuk, Jensen, Baptiste, Arthur, Damsgaard, Strakosha, Kim, Ghoddos, Maupay
Arteta will also be without his first-choice goalkeeper David Raya, who is ineligible to play against his parent club Brentford due to the terms of his loan agreement.
Arsenal will go one point clear at the top of the Premier League if they beat Brentford, with Liverpool hosting Manchester City at Anfield on Sunday.
The Gunners then face a tight turnaround as they welcome Porto to the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday evening for the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie. Arteta’s side are looking to overturn the 1-0 defeat they suffered in the first leg in Portugal last month.
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