Gabriel Magalhaes was forced to come off during Arsenal’s clash against Olympiacos at the Emirates Stadium in the UEFA Champions League. David Raya appeared to land awkwardly on the 27-year-old defender after claiming a high-ball.
Medical staff raced onto the pitch shortly after the incident, and they eventually helped Gabriel to his feet. While the Brazil international was receiving treatment, Cristhian Mosquera was called to get ready to come on.
The 21-year-old defender, who joined Arsenal from Valencia for just £13m in the summer, replaced Gabriel, who sat himself on the bench. The Brazilian didn’t appear to receive any further treatment after coming off.
In an interview with TNT Sports after the game, Mikel Arteta was asked to provide an update on Gabriel. He said: “Yeah [he’s okay]. He was struggling a bit with a kick in the first half and we decided to take him off.”
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Then, in his post-match press conference, Arteta revealed that Gabriel ‘felt something’. He said: “Yeah, I think he’s going to be okay. He felt something. I think it was a kick, I’m not sure, in the first half, and he was a bit uncomfortable, and towards the second half he was there.
“He could carry on, but we decided not to take any [risks], really, because he’s played a lot of games. He comes from a long-term injury as well, and we need to look after him.”
Speaking to reporters before the Olympiacos tie, Arteta was asked if his side are under pressure to go the distance in the Champions League this season. Last term, Paris Saint-Germain knocked the Gunners out of the competition in the semi-finals, winning 3-1 on aggregate.
The French giants went on to defeat Inter Milan at the Allianz Arena in Munich. The Arsenal boss said: “We have the same ambition which is to go game by game and try to be better than the opponent, which is very difficult in this competition and win as many games as we can.
“Tomorrow we’re going to have a really difficult one. We know how important the home form is going to be to reach in this phase where we want to arrive and tomorrow we have the opportunity to start well.”
Arteta added: “I’m aware the moment I step in this chair that what I want with this club is to win major trophies. Nobody else has to put that line into us.
“That’s the ambition, from the first day. And the excuses, they’ve never been part of my life.”
Arteta made his managerial debut on the European stage back in February 2020 when Arsenal locked horns with Olympiacos in the Europa League back. On facing the Greek champions again, the Spaniard said: “That’s the beauty of football as well.
“I perfectly remember when we scored the goal, when we conceded the equaliser, the last chance that we had in the last second of the game as well to go through. What happened after that, as well, when COVID and everything hit, so it’s part of the journey to get to where you are.”
On Olympiacos, Arteta added: “They have a really good side, and they have a really, really good manager, which I’ve known since I was 13 because he was my coach at that period. I know how he works.
“I know how efficient he is in what he does. That’s why I’m saying that tomorrow is going to be a really tough match.”
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