Arsene Wenger has given a fresh injury update ahead of Saturday’s FA Cup final with Chelsea and has admitted Gabriel is definitely out of the clash.
The defender picked up a knee problem in Sunday’s win over Everton and will miss the next few months although the injury is not as bad as first feared.
Arsenal are facing a defensive crisis ahead of the game with Shkodran Mustafi still suffering from concussion and a huge doubt although there was better news Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
“Gabriel is out for 6-8 weeks. We had a scare about his cruciate but it’s medial. He avoids surgery,” he told a pre-match press conference.
“Alexis Sanchez is OK, Oxlade-Chamberlain is in contention for final. Mustafi is still sick and hasn’t trained yet.”
Wenger is also optimistic top scorer Alexis Sanchez will feature in the final although he did admit he is not 100% confident he will be fit to face Chelsea.
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“He needs to go through some tests at the moment. We’ll see how well he comes out of that,” he added.
“Knowing the player, knowing his commitment to the club, he’ll do everything to be fit for Saturday.”
It sounds as though Arsenal may have to cope without Mustafi on Saturday and with Gabriel and Laurent Koscielny also out that will be a huge blow.
However, it seems likely that Sanchez will be fit for the game, and although that is a huge boost, Wenger certainly has selection problems ahead of the weekend.
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