Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has dropped a big injury update ahead of the Premier League derby against Tottenham Hotspur at the Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners are unbeaten in the last 11 games across all competitions with 10 wins and one draw. They will aim to extend the streak against Spurs on Sunday.
Ahead of the encounter, Arteta has confirmed a couple of concerns on the injury front.
The Spanish tactician revealed that Gabriel Magalhaes is out for weeks after suffering a thigh injury on international duty for Brazil against Senegal last week.
He said (via football.london): “Yeah Gabi unfortunately picked up an injury and he’s going to be out for weeks. We need to have another scan next Wednesday and we will have the timeline much more clear.”
The manager added that Riccardo Calafiori has not trained after returning early from Italy duty due to a hip issue. The left-back could be assessed in tomorrow’s session.
He added: “Yeah he wasn’t available, he’s been carrying a few things and we had to bring him back. He hasn’t trained yet, we have a session tomorrow so we will see.”
Arsenal suffered a minor blip before the international break. They came from 1-0 down at Sunderland to secure the lead (2-1), but conceded a late stoppage time equaliser.
As a result, Manchester City and Chelsea are within four and six points respectively of the Gunners. The club now face a stern test of their title credentials with a tricky run.
Arsenal are due to face Spurs, Chelsea, Brentford, Aston Villa and Wolverhampton Wanderers in the next five league matches. In between, they have a key Champions League game against Bayern Munich.
Unlike last season, the Gunners have sufficient defensive depth after the summer spending spree. One of Piero Hincapie or Cristhian Mosquera could slot at left centre-back in Gabriel’s absence.
If Calafiori is unavailable for the north London derby, Arteta could utilise the services of either Hincapie or Myles Lewis-Skelly in the left-back position. Hincapie impressed in the role earlier this month.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com