The fall-out from feisty derbies against Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur continued to dominate the build-up to Arsenal's important weekend game away to Leicester City, with manager Arsene Wenger not knowing whether defender Gabriel can play.
The Brazilian defender, sent off last Saturday for retaliating against Chelsea's Diego Costa, had his dismissal rescinded but Costa, who appeared to have escaped with a yellow card, was subsequently banned for three matches.
That did not pacify Wenger, who said that it repaired only "five per cent" of the damage his team suffered by losing Gabriel before half-time.
And Arsenal still have to wait for the FA's verdict, expected later on Friday, on whether Gabriel is fined or suspended for failing to leave the pitch quickly enough.
"I'm hopeful but I will accept the judgment," Wenger told a news conference. "If there's no punishment, we are a bit lucky but if there's punishment we will have to take it.
"Ideally, we want the right decision to be taken during the game. We should have played with 11 against 10 but instead we played with 10 against 11."
Gabriel, he added, had been "completely focused" in training while awaiting the FA decision.
After their 2-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge, Arsenal won a League Cup tie 2-1 away to their greatest rivals, Spurs.
They will be without injured midfielder Francis Coquelin for Saturday's trip to Leicester, the only unbeaten team in the league.
Claudio Ranieri's side lie one place and two points above them in fourth position.
"It shows we have a strong squad," Wenger said of the win against Spurs. "We showed how to fight on Wednesday night. The game was about commitment and mental resources which we showed.
"I have great confidence in these players."
That includes Chilean forward Alexis Sanchez, last season's leading scorer, who is without a goal so far in the new campaign.
"It takes time to settle and come back to your best," Wenger said. "I'm not worried about Alexis Sanchez and I'm confident he will score."
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