Arsenal have been given a significant lift for their upcoming Champions League quarter-final return leg as Bayern Munich's Serge Gnabry is sidelined with an injury.
The ex-Arsenal forward, who found the net in the first half, had to be substituted in the 70th minute during the intense 2-2 draw at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday. Gnabry is set for further assessment back in Munich, but early indications suggest he could be out of action for around three weeks, potentially even longer.
Bayern's head coach Thomas Tuchel confirmed the nature of the setback, saying: «It's a hamstring injury. It doesn't look good for the second leg.»
Echoing the concern, Bayern CEO Jan-Christian Dreese praised Gnabry's contribution: «He scored a fantastic goal. Wishing you a speedy recovery, especially after today's fantastic performance.»
Despite only making a handful of appearances for Arsenal before his departure to Werder Bremen in 2016, Gnabry was a constant menace against his former club throughout the match.
Although he has past ties with the Gunners, Gnabry did not hold back in celebrating his well-executed goal, contributing to the charged atmosphere at the Emirates, where only Arsenal supporters were in attendance.
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The refereeing decisions also sparked controversy, with Tuchel expressing his frustration towards referee Glenn Nyberg for not awarding a penalty to Bayern. The incident involved Gabriel Magalhaes handling the ball in the penalty area, which Tuchel believed occurred after keeper David Raya had already taken a free-kick.
The former Chelsea manager expressed his
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