Gabriel Magalhaes suffered a groin injury over the weekend and could now miss the North London derby; however, Martin Keown has made a claim which could make Arsenal fans think twice.
During Brazil’s 2-0 win over Senegal, Gabriel was forced off injured in what could be a major blow for Arsenal’s season.
It has been predicted that Gabriel could miss a few weeks for Arsenal with the issue, given the way the defender walked off the pitch at the Emirates Stadium.
But speaking ahead of the North London derby, Martin Keown has made a fascinating claim, which Arsenal fans will hope is true.
Martin Keown backs Gabriel Magalhaes to play for Arsenal against Tottenham
Keown has predicted that Arsenal will finally get a bit of injury luck and Gabriel Magalhaes will be fit to play against Tottenham.
Gabriel has been Arsenal’s best player this season, and despite their strong backup options, the Brazilian being sidelined would be a big miss.
However, the Arsenal legend is backing the 27-year-old to be fit in time for the derby in N5, and the Gunners will have their full quartet of defenders available.
Speaking to TalkSPORT, Keown said: “I think Gabriel might make it, and if he does, I think Arsenal deserve that bit of luck.
“I can see this feeling from other clubs and other supporters that it’s a relief Arsenal have another injury, let’s hope that doesn’t happen this weekend and Arsenal have their full quartet of players to pick from.”
Right now, it feels unlikely that the defender will make the game, but Cristhian Mosquera and Piero Hincapie are waiting in the wings to replace him.
Arsenal’s worrying record without Gabriel Magalhaes
Arsenal have a worrying record without Gabriel in the team, as their win percentage drops significantly without him.
The Gunners have a 63.3 per cent win record with the Brazilian in the team, but without him, that drops all the way down to 40.0 per cent.
| With | Without | |
| Games | 171 | 30 |
| Wins | 110 | 12 |
| Draw | 27 | 10 |
| Losses | 34 | 8 |
| Win percentage | 64.3 | 40.0 |
| Points per game | 2.1 | 1.5 |
When Gabriel missed the back end of last season with a hamstring injury, Mikel Arteta’s team won just three of their remaining eight league matches.
Therefore, it just goes to show how important he is to this team, regardless of the strong squad depth Arsenal now possess.
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