Arsenal’s Gabriel set to be sidelined for weeks | OneFootball

Arsenal defender Gabriel (27) will be out for “weeks” after picking up an injury while on international duty with Brazil, according to reports from Sky Sports.

The 27-year-old was forced off during Brazil’s win over Senegal and will miss Sunday’s North London derby against Tottenham, the first of three major fixtures for the Gunners in the space of a week.

“It’s a blow,” Arteta said. “He’s our leader in the backline. To miss him is never positive. We will have another scan next Wednesday which will give us a clearer timeline.”

Gabriel’s injury leaves Arteta with several decisions to make in defence. Summer signing Piero Hincapié is one option but has yet to start a Premier League game and has mostly been used at left-back. Cristhian Mosquera is another alternative, though he has only made one league start this season and struggled in that appearance, while Riccardo Calafiori could also move into the centre of defence, but doing so would require further reshuffling at left-back.

Arsenal have been noticeably stronger in the Premier League with Gabriel in the starting XI, and his absence comes at a challenging moment as the team look to maintain momentum across domestic and European competitions. Arsenal host Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Wednesday before travelling to Chelsea on 30 November.

GFN | Finn Entwistle