Arsenal without key defender for FA Cup final after knee injury

Arsenal will have huge boots to fill in the central defensive department after it was confirmed that Gabriel would miss up to eight weeks with a medial knee ligament injury.

The Brazilian endured the nasty injury in the second period of the 3-1 win versus Everton last Sunday, and this has ruled him out of the key FA Cup encounter against Chelsea this weekend, Sky Sports News confirms.

Standing skipper Laurent Koscielny will also play no part versus their London counterparts after the club failed to have his red card against Everton overturned.

Rob Holding and Nacho Monreal are likely candidates to take up two of the three positions in central defence but there is still a void to fill with Shkodran Mustafi still overcoming a minor concussion.

Per Mertesacker has featured in just one league game for Arsenal this campaign, and he may have to face the heat against a Chelsea side, who will be seeking to attain a domestic double after their recent Premier League triumph.

Arsenal have remained unbeaten at the Wembley over the past few seasons, but they will still need a performance from their top players including Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez in order to avoid another trophyless campaign.