Arsenal have confirmed their team to face Sporting CP in the Champions League quarter-final, with Gabriel Magalhaes fit enough to start and Bukayo Saka and Jurrien Timber again absent.
Arsenal have confirmed their starting line-up for the Champions League quarter-final first leg against Sporting CP, with Gabriel Magalhaes included from the outset after his recent injury scare.
The defender had been a doubt after going off in the FA Cup defeat to Southampton, but he is fit enough to start in Lisbon alongside William Saliba at the heart of Arsenal’s defence. That is a significant boost for Mikel Arteta given Gabriel’s importance at both ends of the pitch and the concern that followed his substitution at St Mary’s.
David Raya starts in goal, which means Kepa Arrizabalaga returns to the bench after featuring in recent cup action. In front of him, Ben White, Saliba, Gabriel and Riccardo Calafiori make up the back four.
In midfield, Martin Zubimendi starts alongside Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard, giving Arteta a strong central trio for one of the biggest games of the season. Rice’s inclusion is another positive for Arsenal after he missed the Southampton game, while Odegaard continues after returning to the side in recent days.
Further forward, Noni Madueke and Leandro Trossard support Viktor Gyokeres, who leads the line against his former club. That adds an extra layer to the occasion, with Gyokeres facing Sporting in a Champions League quarter-final after making his name in Lisbon before moving to Arsenal.
Arsenal XI vs Sporting CP: Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori; Zubimendi, Rice, Odegaard; Madueke, Trossard, Gyokeres.
Substitutes: Kepa, Ranson, Mosquera, Salmon, Lewis-Skelly, Norgaard, Dowman, Martinelli, Jesus, Havertz, Harriman-Annous.
There is also important context in who is missing. Bukayo Saka and Jurrien Timber have not travelled and are not involved, with Arteta having said before the game that neither player was ready yet. Their absence leaves Arsenal without two major senior options, particularly in wide attacking areas and at the back, even if the manager had suggested both could have a chance of returning at the weekend.
Leandro Trossard’s inclusion in the starting side is another lift, while Gabriel and Rice both returning to the XI gives Arsenal a stronger look than seemed certain immediately after the Southampton defeat. With Arsenal coming into the match after back-to-back losses, Arteta has gone with a side that still has plenty of senior experience and quality.
The immediate talking points are clear. Gabriel is fit enough to start and Gyokeres leads the line on his return to Sporting. For Arsenal, those were three of the biggest questions before kick-off. Now they have their answer.