Amid Arsenal's Longing, Tottenham Arrive

LONDON, SATURDAY - Arsenal will greatly miss the absence of their main central defender Gabriel Magalhaes. Gabriel sustained an injury at a most inopportune time, as "The Gunners" are set to face their eternal rivals Tottenham Hotspur. The visiting team arrives with an impressive record when playing away.

Arsenal will host their arch-rivals Tottenham at the Emirates Stadium, London, on Sunday (23/11/2025) at 23:30 WIB. The home team welcomes the North London derby without their best player, Gabriel Magalhaes, who suffered a thigh muscle injury while playing for the Brazilian national team during the international break last week.

"He will be sidelined for a few weeks," said Arsenal Manager Mikel Arteta regarding Gabriel's injury. "He is our leader in defense, so this injury is certainly not a positive thing. Every player brings their own qualities. Gabriel brings a spirit of leadership and a love for defending," he continued.

Gabriel is the only defender of "The Gunners" who has participated in all matches across all competitions since the beginning of the season, totaling 17 times. Thanks to him, Arsenal's defense is touted as the best in Europe at present. The team coached by Arteta has conceded only five goals this season.

Injuries are a part of football, especially with the increasing demands and schedules as they are now. We must live with that reality.

Arsenal has scored 12 goals from set pieces, the most in the English Premier League. This achievement is largely due to Gabriel's exceptional performance in aerial duels. The 27-year-old defender is always the primary target for crosses in set piece situations, particularly corner kicks. His influence is very evident on both sides of the penalty area.

Nevertheless, as Arteta has repeatedly mentioned, Arsenal's greatest loss is the leadership figure of Gabriel. The defender has consistently shone in major matches, especially against Tottenham. Since his arrival in 2020, Gabriel has been selected three times as the recipient of the best player award in the North London derby.

Gabriel contributed one goal and one assist in the last two matches against Tottenham. "Injuries are part of football, especially with the increasing demands and the current schedule. We have to live with that reality. We know it will come and have already prepared to face it," said Arteta.

Arsenal learned a great deal from last season, when their championship ambitions were shattered due to an injury crisis. They made significant investments in the summer, including the acquisition of two formidable defenders, Cristhian Mosquera and Piero Hincapie. These two players will fill the void left by Gabriel in the derby match.

Under Arteta's guidance, Arsenal may have an impressive record when facing neighboring teams. They are unbeaten in five home matches, winning four of them. However, they should be wary of Tottenham, who arrive with the status of the best away team this season.

Tottenham, under the leadership of coach Thomas Frank, has adopted a more cautious and pragmatic approach. This strategy has proven ineffective when playing at home. However, during away matches, Micky van de Ven and his teammates have shone. "The White Lily" has garnered 13 points and remains unbeaten in five away games.

Tottenham has conceded only three goals while playing away, the fewest in the league. Interestingly, they have also become one of the highest-scoring teams with 12 goals, equal to Chelsea. They consistently play patiently, waiting for opportunities to punish through counterattacks. One of their victims has been the giant team Manchester City.

Frank stated that the match could end with two contrasting narratives. The derby could conclude with a flurry of goals or, conversely, end in a goalless draw. All of this is influenced by the similar cautious approach he shares with Arteta. "Mikel and I both prefer a more controlled game," he remarked.

"However, the match could ultimately become very chaotic. I anticipate that the match will be difficult for us, but the outcome could go in any direction. Anything can happen. Especially with the atmosphere in the stadium, regardless of whether we are playing at home or away, it will be very intense. We are looking forward to that battle," Frank continued.

The derby match at the Emirates Stadium has consistently been filled with many goals over the last five seasons, averaging 3.6 goals per game. Typically, the pace of the match will drastically increase once the opening goal is scored. As seen last season, Arsenal immediately scored two goals at the end of the first half after initially falling behind.

The upcoming match will mark the first meeting between the two coaches since Frank's move to Tottenham. Previously, while still at Brentford, Frank faced Arteta nine times. The result was that Frank only won once, and that was in their first encounter in mid-2021. After that, Arteta dominated.

In addition to Gabriel, "The Cannon" is also awaiting the return of several other key players from injury. These include Gabriel Jesus, Kai Havertz, Noni Madueke, Martin Odegaard, Riccardo Calafiori, and Viktor Gyokeres. According to Arteta, some players may return. It all depends on the condition during the final training session a day before the match.

Tottenham is not lacking in injury concerns. Eleven of their players are likely to miss the derby, including Dominic Solanke, Randal Kolo Muani, Mohammed Kudus, and Lucas Bergvall. Frank stated that some players may recover in time before heading to the rival team's home ground. (AP/REUTERS)