Arsenal are gearing up to host Porto in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League round of 16 tie, with the Gunners looking to overturn a 1-0 deficit.
The North London giants visited the Estádio do Dragão in the first leg and despite limiting the Portuguese giants to one or two opportunities, Mikel Arteta's men suffered a defeat, conceding in the final minutes of stoppage time thanks to a brilliant shot from Galeno and errors from Gabriel Martinelli and David Raya.
The Premier League giants will have the home advantage in the reverse tie, and given their record at home in Europe this season, Saka and Co. should enter this tie with confidence. Unfortunately, they will have to make do without one key player.
That man is the aforementioned Gabriel Martinelli, with the Brazilian ace all but ruled out for this tie. The winger picked up a foot injury in Arsenal's 6-0 win over Sheffield United and while that issue is not serious, it will force him to sit out this tie.
When speaking about the attacker, Arteta refused to definitively rule him out — he did admit that the odds are against him, however. Regardless, the Athletic reports that the 22-year-old will miss both Tuesday's game plus the upcoming international break.
Martinelli missed the 2-1 win over Brentford after suffering a deep cut to his foot following a tackle in the second half of that Bramall Lane victory. Two members of staff had to help the Brazilian off the pitch but it should be noted that this is not a serious issue.
Gabriel was initially called up to the Brazilian national team for this month's clashes with Spain and England but that will likely change. The Premier League leaders hope to have the South American fit and ready to go come the crucial trip to Man City on March 31.
Martinelli has not enjoyed a productive season in front of goal, having scored only eight goals across all competitions. Nonetheless, his absence is a huge blow as he has been deadly in the UEFA Champions League. The Brazilian has a goal contribution in every single appearance in this competition bar the first leg against Porto and will thus be a huge miss.
