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Arsenal fear that center-back Gabriel Magalhães could be unavailable for no less than four weeks after suffering a thigh injury while on international duty last week.

The Brazilian defender limped off during the Seleção's triumph against Senegal in a friendly at the North London venue on Saturday and has since returned to his team for more assessments.

Club assessments are continuing, and the club have yet to confirm the full duration of the defender's time out.

However, he is not expected to play for the upcoming North London derby on the weekend or the Champions League meeting with the German giants only later.

Possible Absence and Missed Matches

Club sources worry that Gabriel could be out for a minimum of four weeks, perhaps longer, based on the nature of the issue.

This would rule him out of several vital matches, including:

• Domestic matches against Chelsea and the Bees at home
• An road trip to play Villa
• The European clash at Brugge on December 10th

Mikel Arteta's team—that presently have a significant advantage over City—afterwards face Wolves at home before a rearranged fixture to Everton on 20 December.

Significant Blow for The Championship Bid

Losing such an influential player would be a major setback for Arsenal in their title challenge.

The center-back has featured in all minutes of the Premier League season so far and is integral to a defense that has let in just five goals in 11 outings.

Before the recent tie at the Stadium of Light, the side had kept eight consecutive shutouts in every tournament.

Cover Choices and Additional Fitness Concerns

Cristhian Mosquera and fellow new signing Hincapié are in contention to fill in for the Brazilian against Spurs.

There are also questions over whether forward Viktor Gyökeres will be back to play up front after missing Arsenal's last two matches before the international break due to a muscle issue.

In other news, German coach Julian Nagelsmann stated that Havertz has suffered a “slight setback” during his comeback from a knee problem.

While Arteta had been optimistic about the player's comeback this weekend, Nagelsmann suggested that Havertz is currently expected to return in late December.

Team Tested to the Limit

The club saw their championship bid undermined previously by a series of fitness issues and invested heavily in the summer to reinforce the team.

But, with skipper Martin Ødegaard also on the absentee list—alongside Madueke and Gabriel Martinelli—the team is being stretched significantly.