Gabriel Set for Spell on Sidelines in Major Blow to Arsenal

Arsenal have been dealt a significant setback with defender Gabriel Magalhães ruled out for several weeks after sustaining an injury while on international duty with Brazil, manager Mikel Arteta confirmed on Friday.

The centre-back, a key figure in a defence that has conceded just five goals in 11 Premier League matches, picked up a thigh injury during Brazil’s 2–0 friendly win over Senegal at the Emirates Stadium last weekend.

“Gabi unfortunately picked up an injury with the Brazilian national team and he’s going to be out for weeks,” Arteta said. “We need another scan next Wednesday, which will give us a clearer timeline. It’s a big blow because he’s our leader at the back, but we have strong options and others now need to step up.”

Gabriel has formed an outstanding defensive partnership with William Saliba and is also a major aerial threat during set-pieces. Piero Hincapié and Cristhian Mosquera are among those who could replace him for Sunday’s clash against Tottenham, though Arteta stressed that Gabriel’s unique qualities cannot be replicated.

“Every player has specific qualities, and Gabi’s leadership, presence, and passion for defending are hard to replace,” he added. “But we’ve coped before, including last season when he missed large parts of the campaign.”

Arteta also revealed that left-back Riccardo Calafiori, who sat out Italy’s recent internationals, is still recovering from minor issues and has yet to train. His availability for the north London derby remains uncertain.

Several other Arsenal players, including Martin Odegaard, Noni Madueke, Kai Havertz, Gabriel Martinelli, and Viktor Gyökeres, also missed international duty due to ongoing fitness problems.

“We have another training session tomorrow and will assess who might be ready,” Arteta said. “We’ll have more clarity then.”

Arsenal currently sit four points ahead of Manchester City at the top of the Premier League after a 2–2 draw with Sunderland earlier this month, which ended an eight-match run of clean-sheet victories.

Despite Arsenal’s strong home record against Tottenham, with just one Premier League defeat at the Emirates since 1993, Spurs arrive boasting the league’s best away form this season, with four wins and a draw from five outings.