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Gabriel Magalahes made his international debut for Brazil last week in their victory over Bolivia with the Arsenal centre-back set to start again for his country when they take on Peru this week.
It took the 25-year-old until last week to get his first cap for his country as previously there was tension between the player and former Brazil management as Gabriel had been dropped after choosing to prioritise the birth of his child. According to Juninho, Gabriel’s absence from the World Cup squad was related to him asking to be left out of a couple of World Cup qualifiers last March for his child’s birth.
However now the management of Brazil has changed, and so has Gabriel’s fortunes as he’s set to start two games in a row for his country when Brazil take on Peru on Tuesday night.
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Brazil won the opening game of their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign in style last weekend as they beat Bolivia by five goals to one. The Arsenal centre-back played the majority of the game before being substituted off in the 86th minute.
After arriving to the bench, Gabriel was seen holding an ice pack to his thigh which suggested he had come off the pitch due to an injury. However scans after the match showed no sign of an injury, and more just an impact scare after being on the recieving end of a heavy challenge in the first-half. The 25-year-old has since recovered from his dead leg as he was seen in training for Brazil earlier this week and has been deemed fit enough to start their next match.
🚨GOOD NEWS!
Gabriel seen in Brazil training yesterday after the injury scare on his debut against Bolivia.
No injury. pic.twitter.com/2MhmOzuvpQ
— now.arsenal (@now_arsenaI) September 11, 2023
The last thing Mikel Arteta needs is another defender on the treatment table so thankfully it’s good news for Gabriel ahead of Arsenal’s trip to Goodison Park in the first game back after the International break. This fixture is one the Gunners lost last season in Sean Dyche’s first game in charge of the Toffees.
Mikel Arteta will be determined to make sure they get a positive result this time around, and having Gabriel available will go a long way to making that happen considering how aggressive Everton like to play, especially with new signing Beto in the team for the upcoming fixture.
Gabriel formed an outstanding partnership with fellow centre-back, William Saliba last season and although the Brazilian didn’t start the opening three Premier League games for the Gunners, he still remains an integral part of Mikel Arteta’s squad going forward and will be expected to start the match at Goodison Park this weekend.
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