Ahead of the first North London derby of the 2025/26 campaign, Mikel Arteta and Arsenal are waiting nervously to learn the full extent of Gabriel Magalhaes' injury, which was picked up on international duty as Brazil beat Senegal 2-0 at the Emirates Stadium. Which Gunners fixtures the 27-year-old could miss have now been revealed.
In action for Carlo Ancelotti's side, Gabriel – widely regarded as one of the best defenders in world football – was substituted in the second half after picking up a muscle injury. "Bad? I don’t know, he [Gabriel] had a problem on his adductor the medical staff have to check tomorrow," Ancelotti said after the win in London.
"We are really sorry for this, really disappointed, when players have an injury I hope they can recover well and soon," he concluded. With Arteta's men four points adrift at the top of the Premier League table, losing such a vital aspect of their winning formula in Gabriel could be detrimental to their pursuit of English top flight glory.
After finishing second in back-to-back-to-back Premier League campaigns, Arsenal are running the risk of becoming the division's nearlymen. Thus far in 2025/26, however, they have won eight of their 11 matches – and have picked up 26 points, which is four more than the nearest challengers in Pep Guardiola's Manchester City.
Latest on Gabriel Injury: Which Arsenal Matches Could He Miss?
But how long could they be without Gabriel and which games could the Brazil international miss as a result of pulling up on home soil? An injury expert – named Physio Scout on X (formerly Twitter) – has suggested that he could be out of action for between 1–3 weeks and 3–6 weeks, which is entirely dependent on its severity.
"With groins and hamstrings, injuries closer to the hip (proximal) are generally more concerning than those further down the muscle. MOST groin problems end up being minor, with players back in 1–3 weeks, but the fact that he’s feeling it higher up makes me more cautious here and raises the risk of a Grade 2+ injury."
Next up is a fierce encounter with Tottenham Hotspur, whose form under Thomas Frank has been largely criticised by their fans – and should Gabriel miss more than one week of action, he'll be unavailable as his side host their rivals on November 23.
Should the results of his scan come back, and his injury is more severe than first thought, thus ruling him out for two weeks, Arsenal will be without his defensive solidity for their Champions League clash against Bayern Munich on November 26 as well as when they visit Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea four days later in the league.
With Arteta's men still fighting on all fronts, the fixtures continue to come thick and fast and the Spanish tactician will be hoping to have Gabriel back in the midst of things as soon as physically possible. Say the 27-year-old is handed a three-week absence from action, he will also miss his side's Premier League double-header against Brentford and Aston Villa.
GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: Gabriel Magalhaes has now scored 18 Premier League goals for Arsenal, at least six more than any other defender since he made his debut in the competition in September 2020.
Should his injury be very serious and being sidelined for four weeks is in the offing, Gabriel – who has not missed a minute of Premier League action this term – could also be absent for Arsenal's Champions League away trip to Club Brugge on December 10. Three days later and they play Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Seeing Gabriel return as soon as would be welcomed with open arms by the Emirates Stadium faithful, but there is also a chance, albeit a very slim one, that he could miss out on a very busy festive period for the north Londoners: Everton (December 20), Brighton & Hove Albion (December 27) and Villa (December 27).
The small matter of hosting Oliver Glasner's Crystal Palace – the reigning champions of the FA Cup – in the League Cup just before Christmas, while 2026 kicks off with a trip down south to face Bournemouth before returning to north London five days later to face Liverpool on January 8, 2026.