Arsenal defender Gabriel has pulled out of Brazil's upcoming friendly matches due to right knee pain, becoming the sixth Gunners player ruled out of international duty. This follows Arsenal's 2-0 defeat to Manchester City in the EFL Cup final on Sunday. Gabriel joins William Saliba and others on the injury list ahead of a busy schedule.
Defender Gabriel will miss Brazil's friendlies against France and Croatia in the United States because of “pain in his right knee”, according to the Brazil Football Federation. He becomes the sixth Arsenal player unavailable for international call-ups after playing the full 90 minutes in the EFL Cup final at Wembley Stadium, where Manchester City won 2-0 thanks to a second-half brace from Nico O’Reilly. The loss denied Mikel Arteta’s side a chance at a quadruple this season. William Saliba, who also featured in the final, has withdrawn from France's squad for matches against Brazil and Colombia in the US. England midfielder Eberechi Eze pulled out of Thomas Tuchel’s squad for friendlies against Uruguay and Japan due to a calf problem sustained in Arsenal’s 2-0 Champions League last-16 second-leg win over Bayer Leverkusen. Leandro Trossard is out of Belgium's games against the USA and Mexico with an injury, while captain Martin Odegaard was already sidelined for Norway due to a knee issue. Dutch defender Jurrien Timber also misses out through injury. Arsenal lead the Premier League by nine points over Manchester City, who have a game in hand, as they chase their first top-flight title in more than two decades. The Gunners return on 4 April against Southampton in the FA Cup last eight, followed by the Champions League quarter-final first leg versus Sporting three days later, and a league home match against Bournemouth on 11 April.
