Gabriel Magalhaes goes off injured during Arsenal’s 2-1 win vs Fulham (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes picked up a serious-looking injury in last night’s win over Fulham just a week ahead of the big game with Real Madrid.
The Gunners won’t want to go into the Madrid game without a player as important as Gabriel, but it’s not looking good for the Brazil international.
It seemed like Gabriel was in a lot of pain as he had to be substituted early on with a hamstring problem, with pundit Tim Sherwood very quickly pointing out that that could be his season over.
Having played at the highest level, Sherwood will know how nasty these kinds of injuries can be, and his reaction really said it all here…
“That’s his season over” ?
Tim Sherwood says Gabriel’s hamstring injury does not look good ? pic.twitter.com/EZQfR89UjT
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 1, 2025
Arsenal fans will hope the official club confirmation can come up with something more positive, but it seems more likely that the north Londoners’ nightmarish season with injuries is set to continue.
Mikel Arteta is already without Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus with long-term injuries, while Bukayo Saka has only just returned after a lengthy layoff.
Do Arsenal have enough to beat Real Madrid?
Arsenal fans will be delighted that Saka is now back in action, with the England international scoring on his return against Fulham last night.
Still, it would undoubtedly be a big blow if they had to add Gabriel to their list of absentees for such a big game coming up in the Champions League quarter-finals.
Real Madrid will undoubtedly be the favourites for this tie, but AFC supporters will feel that if they’d had everyone fit and available they’d have had a decent chance.
Gabriel has been one of the best centre-backs in world football in recent times, and Arsenal would need him to help keep Kylian Mbappe quiet.
They’ll still have William Saliba, while Ben White, Jurrien Timber and Jakub Kiwior are also decent options to fill in in central defence if need be.
