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Arsenal fear that center-back Gabriel Magalhães might remain sidelined for at least 30 days after sustaining a muscle injury while with the national team last week.

Gabriel was forced off during Brazil's triumph against Senegal in a friendly at the Emirates Stadium on the weekend and has since returned to his team for additional examinations.

Club assessments are still underway, and Arsenal have not yet disclose the exact duration of the defender's time out.

That said, he is unlikely to be available for the key clash with Tottenham on the weekend or the European meeting with Bayern Munich just later.

Possible Absence and Key Matches

There are concerns that the defender could miss a minimum of four weeks, perhaps longer, based on the nature of the injury.

This would keep him out of several vital matches, such as:

• Premier League fixtures against the Blues and Brentford at the Emirates
• An road match to face Villa
• The Champions League clash at Club Brugge on 10 December

The Arsenal team—who presently hold a four-point advantage over City—afterwards meet Wolverhampton at the Emirates before a rescheduled fixture to Everton on December 20th.

Significant Setback for The Title Challenge

Being without Gabriel could prove a significant problem for the Gunners in their Premier League bid.

This defender has featured in each minute of the Premier League campaign so far and is crucial to a backline that has let in only five goals in 11 matches.

Prior to the recent tie at Sunderland, the side had kept 8 consecutive clean sheets in all competitions.

Cover Choices and Other Injury Concerns

Cristhian Mosquera and other new signing Piero Hincapié are in the frame to fill in for Gabriel against Tottenham.

Additionally, there are doubts over whether striker Viktor Gyökeres will recover to play up front after sitting out Arsenal's last two fixtures before the pause due to a hamstring issue.

Meanwhile, German manager Julian Nagelsmann stated that Havertz has suffered a “minor relapse” during his recovery from a knee injury.

While Mikel Arteta had been hopeful about the attacker's comeback this weekend, Nagelsmann indicated that Havertz is currently expected to be back by the New Year.

Squad Tested to the Maximum

Arsenal experienced their title bid hurt last season by a series of fitness issues and invested heavily in the transfer window to reinforce the team.

However, with captain Martin Ødegaard additionally on the injured list—along with Noni Madueke and Gabriel Martinelli—the team is under strain to the limit.