{"id":227512,"date":"2025-10-27T03:47:13","date_gmt":"2025-10-27T03:47:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/227512\/"},"modified":"2025-10-27T03:47:13","modified_gmt":"2025-10-27T03:47:13","slug":"why-gabriel-didnt-get-an-assist-triple-injury-update","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/227512\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Gabriel didn’t get an assist + triple injury update"},"content":{"rendered":"

Flagged as a doubt to take part, Gabriel Magalhaes (\u00a36.4m) not only started but proved why he\u2019s the best Fantasy Premier League (FPL) defender to own.<\/p>\n

Here are our Scout Notes from Arsenal v Crystal Palace.<\/p>\n

\"GabrielGABRIEL SHINES<\/p>\n

In Friday\u2019s press conference<\/a>, Mikel Arteta pulled off another one of his media tricks by saying \u201cwhether he\u2019s available or not\u201d about Gabriel, a defender in over 4.3 million FPL squads.<\/p>\n

It hinted that the centre-back wouldn\u2019t play but, to the initial disappointment of those hoping for a Joe Rodon (\u00a34.1m) autosub<\/a>, the Brazilian started.<\/p>\n

Still, he, David Raya (\u00a35.7m), Jurrien Timber (\u00a36.0m) and Riccardo Calafiori (\u00a35.8m) all ended Sunday with a third successive clean sheet. Although not William Saliba (\u00a36.0m), taken off at half-time.<\/p>\n

And Gabriel tried his best to outdo the Leeds United defender\u2019s 13-point haul. A long wait eventually decided that he didn\u2019t assist the game\u2019s only goal, given instead to free-kick taker Declan Rice (\u00a36.6m).<\/p>\n

In a nutshell, it was deemed that Rice\u2019s free-kick came off Sarr<\/a> \u2013 and not Gabriel \u2013 before bouncing down for Eze.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Early in the second half, a Gabriel header then hit the crossbar. Furthering the pain is seeing him finish just outside the defensive contributions (DefCon) threshold, stuck on nine actions.<\/p>\n

But when you add in his three bonuses, it means a fourth consecutive occasion where the 27-year-old has collected nine or more points. He feels essential.<\/p>\n

ARTETA ON THREE KNOCKS<\/p>\n

Briefly back to Saliba, Arteta confirmed post-match that he, Rice and Calafiori have slight problems.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first one was William [Saliba]. He was out after the first half. Declan [Rice] was struggling from the first half with a knock that he took. Ricky [Calafiori] was another one. Let\u2019s see how they recover.\u201d \u2013 Mikel Arteta<\/p>\n

EZE OUTDOES SAKA + GYOKERES<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, this was the second match in a row where both Bukayo Saka (\u00a310.0m) and Viktor Gyokeres (\u00a39.0m) blanked, mocking the recent debate over which one provides the best Arsenal attacking coverage.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re still no closer to determining whether or not they\u2019ll share penalties, though Saka\u2019s 66th-minute removal meant Gyokeres played more minutes.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe has been ill. He has not trained. We didn\u2019t know if he was going to be able to play. He managed to play a few minutes but the longer the game went, he was going to fatigue and we didn\u2019t want to risk injury.\u201d \u2013 Mikel Arteta on Bukayo Saka\u2019s withdrawal<\/p>\n

Not that it mattered. Neither created a chance, both being limited to just one shot that missed the target. Between them, 0.22 expected goal involvement (xGI).<\/p>\n

\"Goals<\/p>\n

Perhaps Eberechi Eze (\u00a37.6m) is the answer. He scored here against his former club, making it four attacking returns in six outings, while Rice has three in four.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, he should keep starting in midfield while Martin Odegaard (\u00a37.9m) recovers from a knee injury.<\/p>\n

EYES ON MATETA<\/p>\n

Arsenal\u2019s defensive superiority limited Crystal Palace to one shot on target, as Eagles duo Jean-Philippe Mateta (\u00a37.6m) and Ismaila Sarr (\u00a36.5m) matched the quietness of Saka and Gyokeres.<\/p>\n

Despite that, expect recent hat-trick hero Mateta to be a popular Gameweek 10 replacement for either Gyokeres or Joao Pedro (\u00a37.5m). These two are on a five-match drought, but Palace have attractive upcoming fixtures.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

It\u2019s probably worth noting that Palace\u2019s 19-game unbeaten run has been followed by three defeats in four.<\/p>\n

At least centre-backs Marc Guehi (\u00a34.9m) and Maxence Lacroix (\u00a35.1m) grabbed a couple of DefCon points.<\/p>\n

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