Arsenal defender Gabriel has admitted that, prior to joining the club, he believed Chelsea were the Gunners’ main rivals, not Tottenham. The Brazilian arrived from Villarreal in January and is yet to feature in a north London derby.
Speaking to Arsenal TV, Gabriel said: “Trying to win those matches is very difficult and I think the main rival is Tottenham. 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.”
Gabriel could make his derby debut on Sunday if manager Arsene Wenger opts to use his pace to counter Tottenham’s attacking threat, with Per Mertesacker unavailable.
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