Gabriel Magalhaes and Jurrien Timber could be back in contention for Arsenal as they gear up for the upcoming Premier League fixture against Aston Villa.
The Gunners, led by Mikel Arteta, are set to host Unai Emery’s squad at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, with the title race and battle for Champions League qualification heating up. Villa sit just goal difference behind Tottenham Hotspur in the battle for the top four following a 3-3 draw with Brentford last weekend.
Meanwhile, Arsenal come into the fixture off the back of a 2-2 draw with Bayern Munich in their Champions League quarter-final first leg on Tuesday, while Emery’s men clinched a 2-1 victory over Lille in the Europa Conference League on Thursday. Arteta has praised Villa’s transformation under Emery, stating: “What they’ve done since Unai came in. He’s made a huge impact in terms of performances.
“It’s consistently unbelievable what they’ve been doing. They’re in European competition where they played last night. Really impressed with what they’ve done.”
After praising Villa, Arteta gave updates on two injury concerns ahead of this weekend’s Premier League action. Take a look at the Gunners’ fitness issues below.
Gabriel Magalhaes
Gabriel sustained a knock in the match against Brighton but made a comeback in the Champions League tie on Tuesday. Despite a collision with Harry Kane that resulted in a head blow, the 26-year-old centre-back appears to be in good shape.
Mikel Arteta has provided an update on the squad’s condition, saying: “We’ve got one more day to prepare the match. We will see tomorrow if everyone is available. We have some but hopefully with another day we’ll be okay.”
Jurrien Timber
Timber, who sustained an anterior cruciate ligament injury in August during a Premier League match against Nottingham Forest, has been progressing well.
Although he’s been training with the team since before the international break, Arteta has indicated that Timber still needs to complete a few more steps before returning to competitive play.
The manager mentioned: “Still he’s got a few steps to make. He needs to play at least a game with the U23s. We’re going to have an in house game too soon. He’s done everything in training now it’s about getting him match fit, having people around him and competing in a football match which is different to training. From what we’ve seen in training and the time that he was fit, he’s going to have a big, big impact on the team.”
While Timber’s potential return date remains uncertain, there’s optimism he could return to match fitness soon.