Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta says Gabriel is on track to be fit for Saturday’s Premier League trip to Newcastle United but Ben White is an injury doubt.
Captain Martin Odegaard and defender Riccardo Calafiori have, however, been ruled out of the match.
Gabriel was replaced during the second half of Arsenal’s Premier League draw with Liverpool on Sunday after appearing to sustain an injury to his left leg. He was then missing from the squad for Wednesday’s Carabao Cup win over Preston North End.
The defender received treatment against Liverpool before attempting to play on, only to go down again a few minutes later and be replaced by Jacob Kiwior. Arteta later said Gabriel’s injury “doesn’t look bad at all”.
And on Friday, Arteta gave a further update. “Yes (it is good news on Gabriel),” he said. “We have a training session today. If he’s able to complete that he will be available. He hasn’t had any training sessions yet but if he can do that today he will be available in the squad.”
“Ricci and Martin are out definitely. With Ben, we don’t know yet. He hasn’t trained yet. He could not train, he could not get involved so let’s see what happens.”
Gabriel, 26, has made 13 appearances in all competitions this season, scoring twice.
He partnered White at centre-back during the draw with Liverpool, with William Saliba missing out through suspension. Saliba has since served his one-game suspension and returned against Preston on Wednesday. Jurrien Timber also started against Preston having been forced off with injury against Liverpool.
On Odegaard, who has missed Arsenal’s last 11 games with an ankle injury he sustained on Norway duty in September, Arteta added: “Now is the stage he is going to start doing certain work with us and just see how he deals with pain, if he is moving naturally enough and if he is physically at the level required to compete.
“But with the work rate and the hours he has put in I would be surprised if the moment he starts training with us we don’t say he is ready so hopefully soon.”
Arteta added that he does not expect to have defender Takehiro Tomiyasu available before the international break, which comes following Arsenal’s Champions League trip to Inter Milan on Wednesday and next Sunday’s Premier League away match against Chelsea.
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