Leaders Arsenal face uncertainty as Gabriel injury clouds Spurs clash

MANCHESTER, England :Arsenal's preparations for Sunday's home clash with Tottenham Hotspur have been hit by uncertainty over centre-back Gabriel, whose thigh injury is expected to rule him out of the showdown. 

Gabriel has been a cornerstone of Mikel Arteta's defence this season but limped off during Brazil's friendly against Senegal last week, and his absence would leave the Premier League leaders without their most dominant aerial presence.

Arsenal return from the international break four points clear of second-placed Manchester City but Arteta's side stumbled last time out in a 2-2 draw at Sunderland.

They have conceded just five league goals all season but Gabriel's injury - amid media reports that he could be out until January — plus doubts over the fitness of Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Martinelli among others - could test Arsenal's strength-in-depth in a fixture that is always fiercely competitive.

GABRIEL HAS PLAYED HUGE PART IN ARSENAL'S FORM

"Gabriel is a top defender and I don't care who comes in, it will be tough to take. Arsenal have good players but there aren't many Gabriels around," former England forward Alan Shearer told Betfair.com.

"Defensively he's rock solid and has played a huge part in what Arsenal are doing, but certainly from set-pieces, he's a huge cog in what they do in terms of scoring goals and making it very difficult for defences as well.

"Although Arsenal have a good replacement to come in and replace him, they're losing probably the best centre-half in the Premier League."

Arsenal could replace Gabriel with Ecuador international Piero Hincapie or Spaniard Cristhian Mosquera, while Riccardo Calafiori, if fit, could switch from left back to centre back.

Tottenham have been buoyed by a