The Gunners' Vital Center-Back Gabriel Could Be Out for no Less than One Month with Muscle Strain
The North London club fear that defender Gabriel Magalhães could be out of action for no less than one month after suffering a thigh strain while on international duty recently.
The Brazilian defender was forced off during Brazil's triumph against Senegal in a friendly at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday and has since gone back to his team for additional tests.
Medical examinations are still underway, and the club have yet to disclose the exact extent of the defender's layoff.
However, he is not expected to feature for the key clash with Tottenham on Sunday or the European fixture with Bayern Munich just afterwards.
Possible Layoff and Key Fixtures
Club sources worry that the defender could be out for a minimum of four weeks, maybe more, based on the extent of the injury.
That could rule him out of several vital matches, such as:
- Premier League fixtures against the Blues and the Bees at home
- An away match to face Aston Villa
- The Champions League match at Club Brugge on December 10th
Mikel Arteta's team—who currently hold a four-point advantage over City—then face Wolves at home before a rescheduled fixture to Everton on 20 December.
Major Blow for Arsenal's Title Bid
Losing Gabriel could prove a major blow for the Gunners in their Premier League challenge.
This defender has played each minute of the Premier League season so far and is integral to a defense that has conceded just five goals in 11 outings.
Before the latest tie at the Stadium of Light, the team had kept 8 straight clean sheets in every tournament.
Replacement Options and Other Injury Concerns
Cristhian Mosquera and fellow summer arrival Hincapié are in contention to fill in for the Brazilian against Tottenham.
Additionally, there are concerns over whether forward Viktor Gyökeres will recover to play up front after sitting out the club's final two matches before the pause due to a hamstring issue.
In other news, German coach Julian Nagelsmann stated that Havertz has experienced a “slight setback” during his comeback from a joint injury.
Although Mikel Arteta had been hopeful about the attacker's comeback soon, Nagelsmann suggested that the German is currently likely to be back towards the end of the year.
Squad Stretched to the Limit
Arsenal saw their title push undermined last season by a succession of fitness issues and invested heavily in the transfer window to strengthen the squad.
But, with skipper Ødegaard also on the absentee list—alongside Madueke and Gabriel Martinelli—the team is feeling the pressure considerably.
