Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has confirmed that Gabriel Martinelli will be sidelined for their Champions League clash against PSV Eindhoven tomorrow following a hamstring injury.
Arteta disclosed the attacker could be unavailable for the highly anticipated North London derby this weekend.
The 22-year-old Brazilian forward was forced to leave the field during Sunday’s victory against Everton, making way for Leandro Trossard after sustaining the injury while scoring a goal that was disallowed after VAR intervention.
Arsenal won the game via a Trossard strike in the second half.
After the match, Arteta stated that Martinelli is not generally a player who suffers muscular injuries, but he had to come off.
Arteta said (via Arsenal’s official website): “He felt something in his hamstring, and we need to do some further tests to assess if there is any significant damage or not. But he will be out for tomorrow’s game, that’s for sure.”
When asked about Martinelli’s potential return for the North London derby, Arteta remained cautious.
It’s a possibility – we don’t know yet,” Arteta added. “As I said, we need some more tests and then see what happens.”
Arsenal fans will be anxiously awaiting the results of these tests, hoping Martinelli can recover in time to feature in the highly anticipated clash against arch-rivals Tottenham.
Fortunately for Arsenal, the squad has no other fitness concerns heading into their first Champions League match at the Emirates Stadium since 2017.
This news will provide a degree of relief for Arteta, who will be keen to maintain a fully fit squad for the crucial fixtures ahead.
