Arsenal will be without the services of winger Gabriel Martinelli in the upcoming second-leg match against Porto in the round of 16 of the 2023/24 Champions League, scheduled for 3:00 AM tomorrow morning (March 13).
Arsenal loses Martinelli for crucial match against Porto Martinelli encountered foot problems in Arsenal’s 6-0 victory over Sheffield United on March 5. He was escorted off the pitch by two Arsenal medical staff members after being unable to walk independently following a collision in the 64th minute.
Most recently, Martinelli was absent from Arsenal’s training session on Monday (March 11), and it is highly unlikely that he will recover in time to participate in the match against Porto in the second leg of the round of 16 of the Champions League at the Emirates Stadium.
Sharing his thoughts on media, Manager Mikel Arteta stated, “There isn’t much updated information about the team. We still have 24 hours and are trying to ensure everyone is healthy and ready. Tomiyasu has partially trained while Martinelli hasn’t.”
Martinelli did not feature in Arsenal’s 2-1 victory over Brentford in the Premier League recently, despite Arteta expressing optimism about the player’s health situation. However, Martinelli was seen arriving at the stadium to support his teammates.
The absence of Martinelli will be a significant loss for Arsenal, as he has become one of the key players for the club this season. So far, the 22-year-old has contributed 8 goals and 5 assists in 32 appearances for the Gunners across all competitions.
Without Martinelli, Manager Arteta still has another high-quality option to replace him on the left flank, namely Leandro Trossard. The form of the Belgian international is even more impressive than Martinelli’s, with 10 goals scored in 33 appearances across all competitions this season.
In the first-leg match in Portugal, Arsenal suffered a 0-1 defeat against Porto, and they need to play with more than 100% effort to overturn the result and advance to the Champions League quarter-finals. It is noteworthy that in their last 8 appearances in the Champions League, the Gunners have been eliminated in the round of 16 stage.