Gabriel Magalhaes has been raving about the North London derby; however, the Arsenal defender’s injury means he will miss the match.
Gabriel suffered a groin injury during Brazil’s 2-0 win over Senegal last weekend, dealing a massive blow to Mikel Arteta’s team.
Following assessments, Gabriel is set to be out for over a month, meaning the Spanish manager will need to find a solution to losing one of his best players.
It’s such a shame for the Brazilian international, who spoke before his injury about how the fixture is the ‘best’ in Arsenal’s calendar each year.
Gabriel Magalhaes says the North London derby is the ‘best game’ at Arsenal
Gabriel Magalhaes believes that the North London derby is the ‘best game’ at Arsenal, but now, he is going to miss the clash against Tottenham.
The 27-year-old admits that he loves the ‘energy’ and the ‘atmosphere’ of these fixtures, so he will be especially gutted to have injured himself ahead of the first one of the season.
Gabriel told the Premier League: “For me, it’s the best game to play, the energy, the atmosphere, and it’s very good. So this is one of the best games of the season at Arsenal.”
Gabriel has a fantastic record against Tottenham, winning seven of his ten matches against the Gunners’ bitter rivals.
Meanwhile, he has won the Man of the Match award in each of the last three Premier League North London derbies.
There’s no doubt that on the weekend, Arsenal are going to miss Gabriel’s aerial presence, especially after his superb header against Spurs in N17.
Gabriel Magalhaes just loves playing at the Emirates Stadium
Gabriel has admitted that he loves playing at the Emirates Stadium and that will be another big factor he will miss whilst he recovers.
“Many things, I think, when I arrived, I got a welcome from everyone. Always when I walk in from the tunnel and I go out on the pitch, I want to play with passion. I love this club and it means everything to me,” admitted the Arsenal defender.
The former Lille star has become a hero in North London and will be hoping that status changes at the end of the season to a legend.
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