Frontier Sports Desk
London.
Arsenal’s title ambitions have been dealt a major setback after manager Mikel Arteta confirmed that key centre-back Gabriel Magalhães will be sidelined for “weeks” following a thigh injury sustained while on duty with Brazil.
The 27-year-old defender was forced off during Brazil’s friendly win over Senegal earlier this month, limping away after suffering a muscular strain. Arteta delivered the update during Friday’s pre-match press conference ahead of Sunday’s high-stakes North London derby against Tottenham Hotspur, calling Gabriel’s absence “clearly a blow” to the Gunners’ defensive stability.
“Gabi unfortunately picked up an injury with the national team. He will be out for weeks,” Arteta said.
“We need another scan next Wednesday, which will give us a much clearer timeline. It’s never positive to lose our leader in the backline. The good thing is we have strong options, and they need to step up now,” he added.
Gabriel, who has forged a formidable partnership with William Saliba this season, has been central to Arsenal’s defensive solidity and their four-point cushion at the top of the Premier League. His injury is expected to rule him out of the derby at the Emirates and other key fixtures, including the Champions League showdown against Bayern Munich and a league trip to Chelsea. Depending on the scan results, his absence could extend into the busy Christmas period.
Arteta signaled that summer signing Piero Hincapié is among the leading candidates to deputise at left centre-back. However, he voiced concern over the fitness of Riccardo Calafiori, who has yet to resume full training after sustaining a hip issue while with the Italian national team.
“It’s clearly a blow. It’s our leader in our backline. To miss him is never a positive thing. The good thing is we have some very good options. They need to stand up now,” he said.
The update adds to an already challenging international break for Arsenal, though Arteta expressed optimism that captain Martin Ødegaard and forward Gabriel Martinelli—both recovering from minor setbacks—could return in time.
“We’ve put a lot of energy into trying to bring them back as quickly as possible… Tomorrow’s training session will tell us more,” he said.
Despite the mounting injury concerns, Arsenal enter the derby unbeaten in 10 league matches and will rely on their squad depth to maintain momentum as they face a demanding run of fixtures in their pursuit of silverware.