‘Practically recovered’: Gabriel Jesus set to return for Arsenal’s UCL trip to Porto

Arsenal are set for a big injury boost with Gabriel Jesus ready to make his comeback against Porto in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 on Wednesday.

The Brazilian has not played for the Gunners for the last three games with a knee injury. Prior to that, he delivered a man of the match performance with a goal and an assist at Nottingham Forest.

Manager Mikel Arteta has refused to provide a proper update on the attacker in recent weeks, but Record (page 12) report that he has ‘practically recovered’ and will be part of the travelling squad.

Aside from the striker, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Takehiro Tomiyasu are also due to make the trip to Portugal for the much-awaited game at the Estadio do Dragao.

Arteta has selection headache on his hands

The Gunners have been in fantastic form since the winter break with five wins and 21 goals. This has included 5-0 victories over Crystal Palace and Burnley and a 6-0 rout of West Ham United.

The club also dominated the proceedings to beat Liverpool (3-1) and Nottingham Forest (2-1). Jesus has not been missed with Trossard stepping up with goals in each of his last three appearances.

Trossard has started the last two games versus West Ham and Burnley. The big question is whether Arteta would drop him to the bench to reinstate Jesus in the number nine position.

The £45 million signing has been brilliant for the Gunners in Europe this term with four goals and two assists from just 323 minutes. He scored in his four starts in the group stage.

Arteta definitely has a selection headache on his hands. Similarly, the manager may need to choose between Jakub Kiwior, Zinchenko and Tomiyasu for the left-back position.

Kiwior has been good defensively, but he is not known for his attacking skills. Zinchenko is the best for the inverted role, but the Ukrainian has been defensively prone on occasions.

Tomiyasu probably provides the right balance in attack and defence. The Japan international could get the nod over the duo if he is deemed fully fit after a minor injury concern.

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