In a blow to Premier League leaders Arsenal, ace centre-back Gabriel Magalhães sustained a thigh injury while on international duty with Brazil. The 27-year-old will be missing football for at least one month now, reports said.
While a month is not a major period in terms of a football season, what makes Gabriel’s sidelining critical for Arsenal is the fact that they are up against London rivals Tottenham and Chelsea in November. Also in the mix of things is a heavyweight UEFA Champions League clash against Bayern Munich. While the derby with Spurs is on November 23, Sunday, they travel to Stamford Bridge on November 30, Sunday. The home European fixture happens to be in between the two on November 26, Wednesday.
Gabriel was subbed off in the 65th minute of the international friendly against Senegal by Carlo Ancelotti following the injury. The game, incidentally, was played at the Emirates Stadium. While further tests are required to discover the full extent of Gabriel’s injury, initial examinations suggest he will miss a month or two, The Athletic claimed, quoting a source within the Brazilian national team setup as saying.
Who will replace Gabriel?
The centre-back has played every minute of Arsenal’s Premier League campaign so far, but the setback will ensure more game time for Cristhian Mosquera—a promising addition to Arsenal's backline. Riccardo Calafiori or Piero Hincapié could also be asked to start if Mikel Arteta wants one right-footed centre-half and one left-footer in front of David Raya.
Arsenal's upcoming matches:
- 23 Nov 2025 (Sun): Arsenal vs Tottenham Hotspur — Premier League
- 26 Nov 2025 (Wed): Arsenal vs Bayern Munich — UEFA Champions League
- 30 Nov 2025 (Sun): Arsenal vs Chelsea — Premier League
- 3 Dec 2025 (Wed): Arsenal vs Brentford — Premier League
- 6 Dec 2025 (Sat): Arsenal vs Aston Villa — Premier League
- 10 Dec 2025 (Wed): Arsenal vs Club Brugge KV — UEFA Champions League
- 13 Dec 2025 (Sat): Arsenal vs Wolves — Premier League
- 20 Dec 2025 (Sat): Arsenal vs Everton — Premier League
