Arsenalvs.Aston Villa

The Brazilian played the full 90 minutes of Tuesday's Champions League contest with Bayern Munich, and there was no suggestion of a potential issue after the 2-2 draw at the Emirates Stadium in the first leg of the quarter-final.

However, Gabriel missed Arsenal's training session on Friday, and he will now be assessed on Saturday before it is determined whether he will be involved against Villa.

"We've got one more day to prepare for the match and we'll see tomorrow if everybody is available," Arteta told reporters when asked about the centre-back during his pre-match press conference.

The 26-year-old has been in impressive form for the Gunners during the 2023-24 campaign, making 42 appearances in all competitions, scoring four times.

Gabriel emerges as a doubt for the clash with Villa

Gabriel has been vital to an Arsenal defence which boasts the best record in the Premier League, with the team conceding just 24 times in their 31 matches this term.

The Brazilian has formed an impressive partnership with William Saliba in the middle of the defence, and his absence this weekend would be a huge blow for the North London outfit.

Arsenal are currently top of the Premier League table, level on points with second-placed Liverpool and one point ahead of the reigning champions Manchester City, who occupy third position.

The Gunners only have one player definitely on the sidelines for the clash against Unai Emery's side, with Jurrien Timber not yet ready to return.

However, Arteta has provided a positive update on the Netherlands international, who had surgery on an ACL injury last August.

Timber in line to feature before the end of the season

"He's still got a few steps to make. He needs to play a game, at least with the under-21s and he's going to have an in-house game soon as well," said the manager.

"He's done everything in training, now it's getting that match fitness and having people around him to start competing in a full match which is different to training."

Arteta has said that Timber, who suffered his knee injury against Nottingham Forest on August 12, is capable of having "a big impact on the team".

"Hopefully a lot. Everything that we've seen training and in the time he was fit, I think he's going to have a big impact on the team," added the Arsenal head coach on Friday.

Timber was heavily linked with a move to Manchester United in the summer of 2022 but ultimately stayed at Ajax, making 47 appearances during the 2022-03 campaign before arriving at the Emirates Stadium.