Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has confirmed centre-back Gabriel will be sidelined for “weeks” after suffering an injury while on international duty with Brazil. The 27-year-old was withdrawn during Brazil’s win over Senegal and will not be available for Sunday’s North London derby against Tottenham, which is live on Sky Sports.
Arteta said the club will have a clearer timeline after further scans next Wednesday. “Gabi unfortunately picked up an injury with the national team. He will be out for weeks. We need to have another scan next Wednesday. We will have the timeline much more clearly than we have at the moment,” he said.
The Tottenham match is the first of three high-profile games in quick succession for Arsenal, who also host Bayern Munich in the Champions League on November 26 and travel to Chelsea on November 30.
Arsenal’s next fixtures
– Sunday: Tottenham (h), Premier League – Live on Sky
– Nov 26: Bayern Munich (h), Champions League
– Nov 30: Chelsea (a), Premier League – Live on Sky
– Dec 3: Brentford (h), Premier League – Live on Sky
– Dec 6: Aston Villa (a), Premier League
– Dec 10: Club Brugge (a), Champions League
Gabriel has been an ever-present in Arteta’s side this season as Arsenal have conceded just five Premier League goals. Arteta called his absence “a blow,” describing Gabriel as a leader in the backline, but added there are capable alternatives who must now step up.
Possible replacements
Sky Sports’ Sam Blitz outlined Arsenal’s options to cover the centre-back role:
– Piero Hincapié: Signed on deadline day to provide cover, Hincapié has largely been used at left-back for Arsenal and is yet to start a Premier League game for the club. His only start came in the Carabao Cup win over Brighton.
– Cristhian Mosquera: The 21-year-old can partner William Saliba, though he has not started in the Premier League since the Newcastle game and was substituted at half-time in that match. His senior starts alongside Saliba have mainly come in cup competitions.
– Riccardo Calafiori: Another option is to use Calafiori centrally and bring in a specialist left-back such as Hincapié or Myles Lewis-Skelly, though Arteta has said he prefers not to change two positions when only one player is out.
Injuries and squad update
Arsenal have been managing several absences in recent weeks: Viktor Gyökeres, Gabriel Martinelli, Kai Havertz, Noni Madueke and captain Martin Ødegaard have all missed time. Arteta said the medical staff worked through the international break to accelerate recoveries and expected to assess progress at training ahead of the weekend. “We put a lot of energy during the international break with all the medical staff to try to bring them as quickly as possible,” he said. He expressed cautious optimism that some could contribute soon but admitted Sunday might be too soon for several players.
Tottenham injury picture
Tottenham boss Thomas Frank has received a boost ahead of the derby. Forward Randal Kolo Muani is available after recovering from jaw damage sustained on November 8; he has trained wearing a protective mask. Pape Sarr and Lucas Bergvall have also trained and are available. Defenders Ben Davies and Kota Takai returned to training, while Radu Drăgușin featured in a behind-closed-doors friendly as he progresses from ACL surgery.
Archie Gray and Mohammed Kudus have returned to training, but James Maddison, Yves Bissouma and Dejan Kulusevski remain sidelined. Dominic Solanke, who had minor ankle surgery last month, has not played since August 23; Frank said the club will only return him when they are confident there will be no setback.
Looking ahead, Arsenal must cope without Gabriel for the short term and trust the squad depth while hoping some other injured players recover in time to strengthen the options for the coming run of fixtures.