Arsenal's Rice and Gabriel train before Lisbon trip

Declan Rice and Gabriel trained with Arsenal on Monday ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League quarter-final first leg at Sporting CP.

The update is a boost for Mikel Arteta after both players had been monitored in recent days. Gabriel returned to the session after missing the FA Cup defeat at Southampton with a knee issue, while Rice was also involved in the open training period.

Reports from ESPN and Sports Mole said Leandro Trossard also trained at London Colney. Bukayo Saka was not involved in the open session, and Sports Mole said Jurrien Timber, Eberechi Eze and Mikel Merino were also not seen.

The timing matters because Arsenal are due to face Sporting in Lisbon on Tuesday, with Arteta expected to give a fuller update later on Monday evening.

For Arsenal, the return of Rice and Gabriel strengthens the squad picture before a key European knockout tie. Whether either player starts remains to be seen, but their presence in training is a positive sign ahead of kickoff.