Brazilian forward Gabriel Jesus was seen training with his Arsenal teammates ahead of their Europa League Round of 16 first-leg tie against Portuguese side Sporting Lisbon.
The 25-year-old was seen walking onto the field alongside Ghanaian midfielder Thomas Partey as the Gunners ramped up preparation at their London Colney training center on Wednesday morning.
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— Arsenal (@Arsenal) March 8, 2023
The former Manchester City forward has been out with a knee injury he suffered while on duty with the Brazil national team at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. He came off in the 64th minute during the Selecao’s 1-0 defeat to Cameroon in their final Group G game, and it was later announced that he would miss the rest of the Mundial with the injury.
The Arsenal No. 9 underwent knee surgery and was ruled out for three months. However, Mikel Arteta’s side has been handed a huge boost with the return of their leading marksman.
In the Brazilian’s absence, the North London side have maintained its position atop the Premier League standings with a five-point lead over Manchester City and has benefited from stand-in striker Eddie Nketiah, who has scored six goals in all competitions during that time.
Jesus will hope to be among the Arsenal entourage that will depart London for Portugal later today as they prepare to take on Sporting at the Estadio Jose Alvalade for the crucial match scheduled for 6:45pm on Thursday, in what will be the fifth meeting between both sides in European competitions, with the Gunners unbeaten in the previous four.
