Latest Arsenal injury news as two miss Sporting CP to present Gabriel Jesus chance

Arsenal host Sporting CP at the Emirates Stadium today with a Europa League quarter-final berth up for grabs. The two sides played a 2-2 draw in Lisbon last week, which means everything is up for grabs in north London.

The Gunners go into five straight Premier League wins after Sunday’s 3-0 win over Fulham. While Leandro Trossard will be widely remembered for his three first-half assists that made history, the return of Gabriel Jesus from injury provided a much-needed boost in attack.

“It was great to see him again, you can feel the joy of everyone, the players and the staff around him,” the Gunners boss said this week. “We missed him and now he’s back.

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“We have to manage his minutes, his commitment in the squad and in the team. He feels good and every day he trains he says his feelings are getting better and better, so that’s really positive.”

The Brazilian’s comeback softens the recent blow against Eddie Nketiah considerably. The Hale End striker has been out since the 4-0 win over Everton after stepping in for Jesus after the World Cup.

Any hopes of Nketiah returning to the Gunners squad ahead of next week’s international break were dashed ahead of Sporting CP. Arteta confirmed the Englishman is staying out for now.

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“It gets better. He’s still in the [protective] Boot,” the Gunners boss told the media. “He’s still a few weeks away and we’ll have to be patient. It was a bad injury and he has a big challenge ahead of him. Thank God it’s not as bad as it could have been.”