Gabriel: I thought Chelsea were Arsenal’s main rivals, not Tottenham

Gabriel admits that, prior to his move to north London, he believed that Chelsea were Arsenal’s main rivals – not Tottenham.

The Brazilian joined the Gunners from Villarreal in the January transfer window last season, and is yet to feature in a north London derby.

However, his pre-match comments make him sound like a natural.

"Trying to win those matches is very difficult and I think the main rival is Tottenham,” he told Arsenal TV, when asked about derby matches.

"People talk about it a lot here and I was told about it when I first arrived. I always thought that the main rival was Chelsea, but my team-mates told me that Tottenham is the main rival.

"That makes the derby a lot harder."

Gabriel could come into the side on Sunday should Arsene Wenger look to combat Tottenham’s attacking pace without the Per Mertesacker.