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The North London club worry that defender Gabriel Magalhães could be sidelined for at least 30 days after suffering a thigh strain while on international duty last week.

Gabriel limped off during Brazil's win against Senegal in a exhibition match at the Emirates Stadium on the weekend and has since returned to his club for further assessments.

Medical tests are still underway, and the club have yet to announce the full duration of the defender's absence.

That said, he is not anticipated to feature for the key clash with Tottenham on Sunday or the European fixture with Bayern Munich only later.

Potential Layoff and Key Matches

It is feared that the defender could miss at least one month, maybe longer, based on the nature of the issue.

This would see him miss of several crucial fixtures, including:

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

The Arsenal side—that currently have a significant lead over City—then face Wolves at the Emirates before a rearranged fixture to Everton on 20 December.

Major Setback for Arsenal's Title Challenge

Being without such an influential player could prove a significant setback for the Gunners in their Premier League push.

The defender has featured in all minutes of the Premier League campaign so far and is crucial to a backline that has let in just five times in 11 games.

Before the latest tie at Sunderland, the side had kept eight straight shutouts in every tournament.

Cover Options and Other Injury Worries

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

There are also doubts over whether striker Viktor Gyökeres will return to play up front after sitting out the club's final two fixtures before the international break due to a hamstring injury.

Meanwhile, German coach Julian Nagelsmann said that Havertz has suffered a “minor relapse” during his comeback from a knee injury.

While Arteta had been optimistic about the attacker's return this weekend, Nagelsmann indicated that the German is currently likely to be back towards the end of the year.

Team Stretched to the Limit

Arsenal experienced their title push undermined previously by a series of injuries and invested heavily in the summer to strengthen the squad.

However, with captain Ødegaard also on the absentee list—along with Madueke and Martinelli—the squad is under strain considerably.