Gary Neville fires brutal response to Arsenal over Gabriel injury blow

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Gary Neville says Arsenal players have to step up after Gabriel's injury set-back. The Brazilian picked up the problem while away with his country, being substituted during the second half of last weekend's friendly victory against Senegal.

During Friday's pre-match press conference, Mikel Arteta confirmed the centre-half would be sidelined for several weeks, though the precise timeframe for his return remains uncertain. The timing couldn't be worse for the Gunners as they face a crucial week on multiple fronts, starting with Sunday afternoon's clash against Tottenham . Testing encounters with Bayern Munich and Chelsea follow immediately after.

Arteta's squad currently leads the Premier League table, sitting three points clear of second-placed Chelsea and four ahead of Manchester City . Victory over fierce rivals Spurs in the North London derby would stretch that advantage to six and seven points respectively.

However, pundit Neville insists Gabriel's unavailability won't serve as justification should Arsenal drop points - despite the defender netting twice and providing three assists in all competitions this campaign.

"He [Gabriel] is a big loss," Neville commented on Sky Sports before kick-off.

"When you see those two at the back, straight away you're thinking that there's not a lot going to happen attacking wise for the other team.

"Put the goalkeeper on top of that. The full-backs and the midfield protection. They are a formidable outfit defensively and he is a big part of that.

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"They have to step up. No one is going to buy into 'we haven't got Gabriel, that's why we dropped a few points. That's why we lost the league.

"I'm sorry, this has been going on for four years now. You have to live without your best players sometimes. [Cristhian] Mosquera has done a very good job. He's good, he's solid. Go keep a clean sheet without Gabriel. That's the job today."

However, it's actually summer recruit Piero Hincapie who will line up alongside William Saliba in the heart of defence against Tottenham.

The Ecuadorian arrived at the Emirates on loan from Bayer Leverkusen back in September but has been restricted to just a few outings thus far owing to fitness issues.

Hincaapie was handed his first Premier League start in the North London derby against Spurs alongside William Saliba in the backline.

Arsenal face a crucial period in the quest to return to the summit of English football after Manchester City slipped up on Saturday away at Newcastle United.

The Gunners face Chelsea next time out in the Premier League with the league leaders up against their nearest challengers, days after hosting Bayern Munich in the Champions League .