Arsenal dealt huge North London derby injury blow with star forward MISSING training ahead of Tottenham clash

ARSENAL have been dealt a huge blow ahead of their clash with fierce rivals Tottenham Hotspur this weekend.

The Gunners play host to Spurs in the eagerly anticipated North London derby and it looks as though they could be without Gabriel Martinelli.

GettyGabriel Martinelli was missing from Arsenal training today[/caption]

EPAHe went off injured during Arsenal’s 1-0 away win over Everton[/caption]

Martinelli has been a crucial part of Mikel Arteta’s side for the last few seasons with nobody scoring more Premier League goals for the Gunners last term.

But the Brazilian limped off injured in the early stages of Arsenal’s trip to Goodison Park to face Everton last weekend.

And his injury saw him miss out on the North London outfit’s return to the Champions League too as he was absent from Arteta’s matchday squad on Wednesday.

However Arsenal did just fine without him, breezing past PSV in cruise control with a 4-0 victory.

But with tougher opponents on Sunday in the shape of Ange Postecoglou’s high-flying Spurs, the red side of North London will be concerned over his absence from training.

Martinelli wasn’t spotted amongst the rest of the Arsenal first team during their sessions today.

And with just one more training session at London Colney before they do battle with their noisy neighbours, Arsenal could be without their tricky winger once again.

However Mikel Arteta didn’t completely rule Martinelli out of contention for a spot at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday afternoon, leaving fans on tenterhooks.

FREE BETS – BEST BETTING OFFERS AND BONUSES NEW CUSTOMERS

GettyMikel Arteta hasn’t ruled out being able call upon Martinelli on Sunday[/caption]

When asked about his fitness, he said: “With Gabi we are still assessing him, so let’s see if he can make the game or not.”

Arsenal fans have reacted to the news on social media, but seem calm despite Martinelli’s absence.

One said: “Trossard to the rescue.”

Whilst another added: “Don’t rush him, we have Trossard.”

Even without Martinelli, Arsenal have ample depth in quality to be able to get a result and plug their gap in left midfield.

Leandro Trossard replaced the 22-year-old at Goodison Park and started in his place against PSV.

The Belgian netted in both games and will be high on confidence if he is called upon again by his gaffer.

But Arteta and his men will have to be at their free-flowing best if they are to get a result against their visiting rivals.

Tottenham have had a restful midweek without European football and will be buoyed by their spectacularly late comeback against Sheffield United last weekend.

The teams sit on level points in the league after electric starts to the campaign, but a share of the spoils is never enough for fans of either club when derby weekend rolls around.

AlamyLeandro Trossard has come into the Arsenal side in Martinelli’s absence[/caption]

AlamyHe’s scored in both of his last two games[/caption]

ARSENAL TRANSFER NEWS LIVE: Stay up to date with all the latest transfer news and rumours from the Emirates