Arsenal Team News: Wenger Confirms Double Injury Blow Ahead Of Barcelona Game

Arsenal will look to secure a first leg advantage when they entertain Barcelona at the Emirates in the last-16 of the Champions League on Tuesday night.

Ahead of the game, Arsene Wenger has been speaking to the media at his pre-match press conference this afternoon and he’s given a team news and injury update.

Unfortunately, the boss has confirmed that Gabriel has once again been ruled out after failing to recover from a hamstring injury that’s kept him out of recent games with Leicester and Hull.

Wenger said on Friday that the Brazilian international should be back in the squad within the next week but Tuesday night’s clash with Barcelona will come too soon for the centre-back.

Mikel Arteta wasn’t included in the squad that drew with Hull in the FA Cup at the weekend and in a double blow, Wenger has revealed that the midfielder will also miss tomorrow night’s game with an unspecified problem.

It means we’ll be without four first team players for the visit of Barcelona as Jack Wilshere and Santi Cazorla are still working their way back to full fitness from long-term injuries.

Wilshere hasn’t played yet this season due to a fractured fibula while Cazorla has been out since November with a knee injury and although both are now back in light training, they aren’t available for selection just yet.

TEAM NEWS: "Wilshere, Cazorla, Arteta and Gabriel are all out." https://t.co/fh4FyeG5tv pic.twitter.com/kIZzeyNlOq

— Arsenal FC (@Arsenal) February 22, 2016

Several first team regulars are set to return to the starting eleven tomorrow night with the likes of Petr Cech, Hector Bellerin, Nacho Monreal, Aaron Ramsey, Francis Coquelin, Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil and Olivier Giroud all set for recalls.