Forget Arsenal losing Gabriel, Tottenham may have just suffered an even bigger injury blow

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The first North London derby of the season is fast approaching, but Arsenal and Tottenham have suffered key injuries in the build-up to the clash.

Gabriel Magalhaes suffered a groin injury during Brazil’s 2-0 win over Senegal at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday evening.

The Brazilian defender now looks set to miss the North London derby with the issue, which is a huge blow for Mikel Arteta’s team.

However, Tottenham look to have also lost an important player ahead of the clash, and it could actually prove to be a more detrimental injury than the Gunners losing Gabriel.

Pape Matar Sarr’s injury could be a bigger blow than Arsenal losing Gabriel Magalhaes

During Brazil against Senegal, Pape Matar Sarr was also forced off with an injury, which could prove to be a crucial loss for Tottenham.

Just like Gabriel, the Spurs midfielder had to be withdrawn during the friendly and did not look particularly comfortable with the derby just around the corner.

Sarr was able to walk off the pitch, but Tottenham will now need to assess him ahead of their trip to the Emirates next weekend.

Gabriel is no doubt a major loss for Arteta’s side, but Arsenal’s improved squad depth means that the team should be able to cope without him.

So the issue facing Spurs is that whilst Arsenal have Piero Hincapie, Cristhian Mosquera or Riccardo Calafiori to come in for Gabriel, Sarr’s injury leaves them rather short in midfield.

Thomas Frank now has Rodrigo Bentancur and Joao Palhinha as his only two fit midfielders, which is a partnership that has struggled so far this season.

Bentancur and Palhinha both started in Tottenham’s win over Man City earlier this campaign, but otherwise, the Lilywhites’ fans have been quite critical of the pair.

The worry for the Gunners’ bitter rivals is that the duo will be coming up against a midfield trio of Declan Rice, Martin Zubimendi and possibly Eberechi Eze.

Arsenal are relaxed about Riccardo Calafiori’s injury

Arsenal are believed to be relaxed about Calafiori’s injury, and the defender has just returned to London as a precaution, according to Hand of Arsenal.

The defender picked up a minor hip injury whilst away with Italy, but hopefully, he should be fine to take part in the North London derby.

Gabriel’s injury looks more serious, and it’s likely that a groin issue is going to see him miss the Tottenham match after the international break.