Gabriel Jesus to miss Arsenal vs Liverpool due to knee injury | OneFootball

Arsenal striker Gabriel Jesus will miss the club's FA Cup match against Liverpool on Sunday afternoon due to a knee injury, according to reports.

Sami Mokbel of the Daily Mail had revealed that the Gunners were "sweating on the fitness" of their key man as they prepared to host the Reds at the Emirates in the third round of the domestic competition this weekend. And it has since been confirmed that he will miss the game.

Jesus suffers knee injury

Will miss FA Cup tie vs Liverpool

The initial hopes are that the Brazilian will not be out for the long term and David Ornstein of The Athletic has since revealed that while he won't feature against Liverpool, the issue is believed to be minor and this latest problem is "not thought to be of serious concern".

Jesus already missed two games at the start of the campaign due to issues with his knee and that wasn't the first time his fitness has been a concern for the Premier League club.

Indeed, that early-season absence came off the back of last term when Arsenal's title ambitions were seriously dented after the forward picked up a bad knee injury sustained at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. That issue saw him miss 12 league games between December and March.

Having lost their last two matches, the Gunners will be hoping to get back to winning way against Liverpool but it would not be wise to risk the forward in this FA Cup match. The two teams met only last month with Mikel Arteta and his side picking up a point at Anfield after goals from Gabriel Magalhães and Mohamed Salah saw the December clash end 1-1.

So long as this cup game doesn't end up as a draw, which would then lead to a replay against Jurgen Klopp’s side, Jesus will have plenty of time to recover ahead of the club’s next match against Crystal Palace on January 20. Eddie Nketiah is the obvious alternative up top, while Leandro Trossard and Kai Havertz can also play the role.

Arsenal linked with new striker

Ivan Toney rumours persist

Up to this stage of the season, Jesus has scored just three goals and picked up a single assist in 15 Premier League outings. His record in the Champions League – four goals and two assists in five games – is much better, but questions still linger about his natural goalscoring ability.

Consequently, there has been plenty of talk that a new forward could be signed this winter or in the summer to give Arteta and co another dimension in attack. Speaking to GIVEMESPORT in December, Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth noted that "Ivan Toney is the one [rumour] that doesn't go away".

Even so, Brentford are said to be "very, very reluctant" to allow him to leave in January and so it feels as though only a huge bid could tempt them into selling. If Jesus' injury is worse than feared, however, this could force the Gunners into making a move. Only time will tell on that front.