There is no easing back into the swing of things for Thomas Frank's Tottenham after the November international break, with the first North London Derby of 2025/26 on the horizon.
Technically, this won't be Frank's first experience of the NLD, but it will certainly be his most authentic. In preseason, a stunning Pape Matar Sarr strike from halfway handed us a 1-0 victory over our fiercest rivals in an unprecedented derby played overseas.
Sunday's contest will be staged at the Emirates, with Spurs searching for their first Premier League win at the not-so-happy hunting ground since 2011. Mikel Arteta's Arsenal are really good and top of the table, but their extended winning run was halted by Sunderland before the break, and they could be without a host of key names for Spurs' visit.
Crucially for the visitors, Arsenal are without dominant set-piece threat Gabriel this weekend.
Arsenal without Gabriel for North London Derby
The Brazilian international was decisive in both derbies last season, scoring the winner in N17 before forcing Dominic Solanke's own goal in the reverse fixture, which cancelled out Son Heung-min's opener.
Since he arrived in north London from Lille in the summer of 2020, no Premier League defender has scored more goals in the competition than Gabriel (18), with Arsenal's rather annoying dead-ball supremacy owing much to his constant threat.
Fortunately for the Lilywhites, Gabriel sustained a thigh injury on international duty when facing Sarr's Senegal and won't be in action this weekend. In fact, there are fears that the Arsenal defender could be out of action for as long as two months; a setback that could compromise their title tilt.
In his absence, Arteta will likely turn to either Cristhian Mosquera or Piero Hincapié. Neither player boasts the experience, set-piece threat, nor the ability to command Arsenal's defence as Gabriel can, but both have impressed since joining the club in the summer.
Gabriel's not the only major Arsenal absentee this weekend, with Arteta's pre-international break optimism regarding the potential returns of multiple attackers seemingly misplaced. Viktor Gyökeres remains a serious doubt, while Kai Havertz has suffered a setback in his recovery from a hamstring injury. Noni Madueke isn't expected back until early December either.
These absences don't suddenly mean Spurs should be expected to get something down Seven Sisters Road on Sunday, with the Lilywhites so often wilting in that part of the world when expectations exceed anything but a comprehensive defeat.
Still, Gabriel's injury setback is undoubtedly significant, limiting their distinct set-piece threat and potentially taking away a key avenue of chance creation entirely.