Confirmed: Arsenal ace with 12 PL starts in 20/21 ruled out of West Brom clash
Arsenal defender Gabriel has been ruled out of his side’s game against West Brom after the 23-year-old tested positive for COVID-19.
This comes as a blow to Arsenal who have only been without Gabriel for three Premier League matches this season.
This news will serve as a boost to Baggies boss Sam Allardyce who must know that Arsenal could be there for the taking when the sides meet at The Hawthorns next week.
A statement on Arsenal’s website confirmed that Gabriel will miss the clash at The Hawthorns as the Gunners said, “We will continue to monitor and support Gabriel, and we are hoping he will be available again after our next two matches.”
Mikel Arteta’s side’s next two games are against Brighton and West Brom which confirms that Albion will face an Arsenal side that is missing a key defender.
The Baggies take on the Gunners on January 2 and there may be some quiet optimism that Albion can take something from Arteta’s men.
Arsenal are having a dreadful season and they are in real danger of being pulled into the relegation scrap that the Baggies are so desperate to escape.
It may be a bit of a stretch to label the game as a relegation six-pointer but there is no doubt that both sides will be seeing the tie as winnable.
Allardyce and his players will fear no team after picking up a frankly incredible draw away at Anfield on Sunday night.
The Baggies have struggled in front of goal this season so facing a weakened Arsenal defence could prove to be a huge boost ahead of this important game. Though, the Gunners still boast a dangerous attack and Sam Johnstone may have a busy afternoon.
Before that though, the Baggies face a tricky home tie against Leeds United as they look to follow up their draw against Liverpool with another positive result.
In other West Brom news, one Baggies star was named in the BBC Sport team of the week.
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