Gabriel Magalhais was forced to leave the pitch during Arsenal’s 2-0 victory over the Olympiacos at Champions League Emirates Stadium. David Raya seemed to land awkwardly at the 27-year-old centre-back after collecting the cross. The health workers rushed into the field after the collision and eventually helped Gabriel return to his foot.
While Brazilian International was attracting attention, Christian Mosquera was instructed to prepare for his introduction. The 21-year-old defender, who moved from Valencia to Arsenal for just £13 million in the summer, has taken Gabriel’s place as the Brazilian gained a place on the bench for alternatives.
The Brazilian appeared to have no need for additional medical procedures after his withdrawal.
When asked by journalists before the match, Arteta was asked if he was facing pressure to make further progress in the Champions League with this campaign.
During the previous season, Paris Saint-Germain eliminated gunners from the tournament in the semi-final stage, winning 3-1 with both feet.
The French club then overcame Inter Milan at the Allianz Arena in the final.
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The Arsenal head coach said: “We have the same ambitions as going to the game by game and trying to be better than our opponents.
“Tomorrow has something really difficult. I know how important home form is to get to this stage we want to arrive, and tomorrow we have the opportunity to start off well.
“We know that what we want in this club in this chair is to win major trophies, no one else has to get into us.
“That’s my ambition from the first day. And the excuse was, they weren’t part of my life.”
The Spaniard made his administrative debut on the European stage in February 2020 when Arsenal clashed with the Olympiacos in the Europa League. Looking back on facing the Greek champion again, Arteta said: “That’s also the beauty of football.
“I remember perfectly when I scored the goal, when I admitted the equalizer, when I admitted the last chance we had in the final moments of the game. Then what happened when Covid and everything hit, it’s part of the journey to get where you are.”
Regarding Olympiacos, Arteta added:
“I know how efficient he is with what he’s doing, so that’s why I say tomorrow is going to be a really tough match.”
