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Vinicius Jr reacts after Gabriel Magalhaes is ruled out for Arsenal vs Real Madrid clash

Shamanth Jayaram

Fri 4 April 2025 17:58, UK

Arsenal have suffered a huge blow ahead of their game against Real Madrid.

The Gunners are scheduled to face the Galacticos in the quarter-final of the Champions League on Tuesday, and that is their biggest game of the season.

Arsenal would’ve backed themselves to an extent, at least defensively, but they will now be without Gabriel Magalhaes, who has been ruled out for the remainder of this season.

That is a humongous blow for Mikel Arteta and his men, as they will now be significantly weaker at the heart of their defence.

Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr sends message to Gabriel Magalhaes after Arsenal star’s injury

Gabriel has been Arsenal’s best player this season.

The Brazilian’s partnership with William Saliba at the back makes the Gunners one of the strongest defences in all of Europe.

On their day, the two Arsenal defenders are capable of stopping any attack, and that gave fans a lot of hope ahead of their clash against Real Madrid.

Sadly, Arsenal will be without Gabriel, and the Brazil international was visibly distraught as he hobbled off the pitch against Fulham.

Now, Gabriel has taken to Instagram to make a promise to Arsenal fans: “I’ll be back soon, stronger than ever. Until then, I’ll be supporting the team every step of the way.”

The defender has received a lot of love under that post.

Real Madrid superstar Vinicius Junior replied: “Get well soon my brother,” while Edu Gaspar’s son, Luigi, wrote: “Focus on the recovery monster! Will come back stronger.”

Here’s how a few others reacted to his post…

How Arsenal fare with Gabriel vs without him 

Gabriel has been one of Arsenal’s most consistent performers over the years.

The Brazilian’s defensive quality speaks for itself, but he is also a huge threat in the opposite box as well during set-pieces. Arsenal will definitely miss that against Real Madrid.

But, how do the Gunners fare overall when they don’t have their number six at the back?

Arsenal’s win rate drops by 13 per cent when Gabriel isn’t in their side, and they concede more goals too.

That is a big worry, especially as the main candidate to replace him – Jakub Kiwior – isn’t quite at the Brazilian’s level.

It remains to be seen how Arsenal will cope without Gabriel at the back.