Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes faces late fitness test ahead of Sunday’s game against Aston Villa as Mikel Arteta reveals Jurrien Timber is getting closer to a return to action
- Gabriel Magalhaes will have a late fitness test ahead of Arsenal’s game v Villa
- Mikel Arteta stated that Jurrien Timber is ready to step up his recovery
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Gabriel Magalhaes faces a late fitness test to make the Arsenal team for Sunday’s match against Aston Villa.
The centre back missed training on Friday morning, and his manager Mikel Arteta said: ‘We’ve got one more day to prepare for the match & we’ll see tomorrow if everybody is available. We have some (other injury concerns) but hopefully with another day we’ll be OK.‘
The injury scare comes after Tuesday’s 2-2 draw in the Gunners’ Champions League quarter-final vs Bayern Munich on Tuesday.
The Brazilian has been a key part of a line-up which boasts the best defensive record in the league.
Though Arteta confirmed that Jurrien Timber, who has been out injured since August, is to soon feature in a scheduled in-house game before his reintroduction to the matchday squad.
Arsenal’s Gabriel Magalhaes faces a late fitness test ahead of the game against Aston Villa
Mikel Arteta faces an anxious wait to see whether Gabriel will be available on Sunday
Arteta revealed that Jurrien Timber is close to stepping up his recovery from injury
He added: ‘(Timber) still he’s got a few steps to make. He needs to play at least a game with the 23s. 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.’
