Mikel Arteta has revealed why he chose Piero Hincapie to replace Gabriel in Arsenal’s backline for the north London derby against Tottenham.
Gabriel has been ruled out for “weeks” after he picked up an injury on international duty with Brazil.
The Gunners go head-to-head with their fierce rivals this afternoon as visiting manager Thomas Frank gets his first competitive taste of the fixture at the Emirates Stadium.
Hincapie, a loan arrival from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer, has struggled for fitness in the early stages of his Arsenal career, but he is given the nod to partner William Saliba in the heart of the home defence this afternoon.
The Ecuadorian has played just five times this term in all competitions for his new side, but now he gets the opportunity to start in central defence.
Arteta said: “We believe that it was the best partnership to start with today.
“We are going to have the absence of Gabi for a few weeks and we want to replace that stability that we had in the past.
“He has won the league in Germany. For his age already, he has a lot of football in his legs.”
Riccardo Calafiori pulled out of Italy duty with an injury after training by himself, but he is fit enough to start at left-back.
Jurrien Timber completes the back four, but there is no return to action for Viktor Gyokeres, who misses out on the matchday squad.
Mikel Merino continues as the makeshift No9.
