Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta says Gabriel is “evolving really well” in his recovery from a thigh injury - and does not expect the defender to be out for a long time.
Gabriel injured his thigh during the international break earlier this month when playing for Brazil in a friendly against Senegal.
Arteta has already confirmed the centre-back will be out for weeks and he underwent another scan on Wednesday.
The Arsenal boss is staying tight-lipped on the results of that scan, but he has confirmed that Gabriel is making good strides with his recovery.
“I think he is evolving really, really well,” said Arteta. “We have to wait for that scan a little bit longer to be more precise, in terms of the timings.
“But I am quite confident, especially the way that Gabi takes every injury and the way he is going to push everybody, that it is not going to be that long.”
Asked if he hopes Gabriel could be back before the end of the year, Arteta replied: “I don’t know. We have to wait and see.”
Gabriel will miss Sunday’s trip to Chelsea and Arsenal could be without four attackers for the game at Stamford Bridge.
Gabriel Jesus, Kai Havertz, Leandro Trossard and Viktor Gyokeres are all doubts for the game.
Jesus has been out of action since January, when he underwent knee surgery, but he took part in a friendly on Thursday.
“So we took that opportunity for the players that needed a bit of exposure and competition to provide that to them,” said Arteta. “It was very positive.
“Obviously, he has been out 11 months and you need that progression. You need to see how his body, that knee reacts and what else does he need.
“The players that we have available as well, it has to make sense to have the right balance in the squad. The good thing is that it is very, very close at the moment.”
