The Arsenal defender clashed with his Chelsea counterpart during the Gunners' 2-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge in September but he says that their feud has since been settled
Arsenal defender Gabriel insists his spat with Chelsea striker Diego Costa is consigned to the past, as he says the issue is "resolved". The Brazilian centre-back clashed with the Spain international during Arsenal's 2-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge in September, receiving a red card after kicking out at the Blues star. Gabriel was subsequently fined £10,000 and banned for one match, while Costa was suspended for three matches for violent conduct, much to Jose Mourinho's chagrin. Gabriel, though, has now insisted that there is no lingering bad blood between himself and Costa as the Gunners prepare to face the stuttering champions this weekend. "We were defending our respective teams and objectives. It was one of those situations that appears in the heat of the match. It's another subject resolved," he told Goal in an exclusive interview. 
Arsenal head into their clash with the Blues joint-top of the Premier League table, along with Leicester City, and have not lost since their Boxing Day thrashing at the hands of Southampton. Gabriel, though, is refusing to get carried away with his side's form and accepts that the title race is finely poised. "We're in a great moment in the competition, but there's also other teams fighting for the title," he added. "It's a very balanced tournament. Aside from us, we have two teams that are having good campaigns, such as Leicester and Manchester City, and there's also other clubs who can fight for the title." Away from the Premier League, Arsenal will face Barcelona in the Champions League knockout stages and Gabriel is upbeat about his side's chances of overcoming Luis Enrique's fearsome Catalans, despite only scraping through a group comprising Bayern Munich, Olympiacos and Dinamo Zagreb. "There's no doubt we haven't done a great job in some games," he said. "We were not playing as well as we can, but we've had time to rise and to put Arsenal through to the next stage. "I believe this experience helped us to strengthen for the duel against Barcelona, who have a fantastic team but are not unbeatable."
- Goal