Arsenal Star ‘Auditions’ for Arteta as Backup Goalkeeper Before UCL Tie vs Bayer Leverkusen
- Arsenal star Gabriel Magalhaes went in goal during Arsenal’s training ahead of the Bayer Leverkusen match
- The Brazilian ‘auditioned’ for Mikel Arteta as a possible backup for goalkeepers David Raya and Kepa Arrizabalaga
- The Gunners will face Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League, with the first leg coming up at the Bay Arena
Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes displayed his ‘versatility’ by playing in goal during a funny moment in training ahead of a Champions League match.
The Gunners will take on Bayer Leverkusen in the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16 match at Bay Arena on Wednesday, March 11, 2026.
Source: Getty Images
The second leg will take place in London on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, and Mikel Arteta's side are favourites after winning all eight group stage matches.
Gabriel Magalhaes goes in goal
As seen in a video shared by AP News, Gabriel Magalhaes moved into goal during a light moment during Arsenal training, saving a shot with his bare hands.
The defender avails himself to the manager in case the need comes for an emergency goalkeeper during any of Arsenal's matches for which he is available.
John Terry, Kyle Walker, Harry Kane and even Olivier Giroud have all been in goal for Chelsea, Manchester City, Tottenham and AC Milan in the past.
Arsenal have Spanish goalkeepers David Raya and Kepa Arrizabalaga as their first and second choice
Arteta speaks about having fun in training
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta engages his players in a fun way during training sessions, and the coach has confirmed that it is a way to connect with the players.
“It's the interaction that we have with the players. We as staff love working with them. I think that feeling is from both sides because they know how much we care about them,” he told arsenal.com.
“The level of demand goes very closely with the level of support that they get. I think the better that connection is, the bigger the chance is to achieve what we want.”
Source: Getty Images
He added that despite footage of fun moments making it online, there are many other rough times that do not make it to social media.
“That's a part that you probably can see, but there is so much that is going on every single day. Some beautiful moments, some others that are very tough as well,” he said.
“The objective that we have is clear. We have a fantastic group of people to do it and obviously a fantastic group of players.”
Arteta reacts to FA Cup drama
Legit.ng previously reported that Mikel Arteta reacted after Arsenal nearly faced an upset against Mansfield in the FA Cup ahead of their Champions League game.
The Gunners struggled to a 2-1 win over the EFL League One Club, and Arteta described the match as the beauty of the historic FA Cup.
Source: Legit.ng
Elijah Odetokun (Sports Editor) Elijah Odetokun is a Nigerian sports editor at Legit.ng. He has five years of working experience and holds a Bachelor of Agriculture from the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, and a Diploma in Freelance and Sports Writing from the London School of Journalism. He has covered major Super Eagles games, including FIFA World Cup qualifiers. Email: elijah.odetokun@sportsbrief.com
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