In an international break rife with injury scares, the most-owned Fantasy Premier League (FPL) defender, Gabriel Magalhaes (£6.6m), suffered a thigh problem while playing for Brazil.
Having added one goal, two assists and 13 bonus points to the many clean sheets collected by Arsenal’s watertight defence, in-form Gabriel finds himself in 84.3% of the top 100,000 Fantasy squads, according to LiveFPL.
That’s why even a short-term absence could cause chaos in FPL, with the fixture schedule is about to intensify.
Injury latest
Gabriel is not yet officially ruled out of Gameweek 12, with further word awaited on the severity of his injury. While a concrete update may not come from the taciturn Mikel Arteta, we could get a further heads-up from the press.
The latest comes from the usually reliable David Ornstein, who said on Tuesday afternoon that a 1-2 month absence is a possibility for the centre-back but that tests are ongoing.
It’s one to monitor as the week progresses. With Gabriel nowhere near a price drop, owners can perhaps afford to wait a day or two for more information.
But if a sale is needed, as seems increasingly likely, let’s see who we can best replace him with.
Note: we’ve not included Marcos Senesi (£5.0m) in this article, as he’s already owned by 73.3% of the top 100k. If you don’t own him, a decent run of upcoming games, huge DefCon potential and some goal threat make him arguably the go-to replacement. Indeed, our Rate My Team (RMT) tool projects him to be the top-scoring defender of the next six Gameweeks.
Another Arsenal defender
Firstly, you could always make the sideways move of bringing in one of his Gunners teammates. Before Gameweek 11, the unit didn’t concede in eight successive matches, across all competitions.
They’ve also barely allowed any big chances (BC, below) in the league. Which defender, though?
One of Cristhian Mosquera (£5.4m) or Piero Hincapie (£5.4m) will step in for Gabriel if he’s out. There’s too much uncertainty there to tip either up as a valid FPL pick, however.
Jurrien Timber (£6.1m) and Riccardo Calafiori (£5.8m) join Gabriel inside the four top-scoring FPL defenders. The latter has started all 11 outings and is the position leader for attempts (19), but his Italy withdrawal came from a hip complaint, which could bring Myles Lewis-Skelly (£5.1m) back in.
It’s worth noting that Calafiori has also had his minutes managed in the Champions League and indeed is the most-subbed-off defender in the league:
Could that also mean managed game-time when we get midweek Premier League games in December and January, then? Very possibly.
Timber, meanwhile, is the number one defender for expected goal involvement (xGI, 2.78). The Dutchman is also the only player in his position to hit double figures for both shots and chances created.
In terms of game-time, he’s started every league match since Gameweek 2. His opening-day benching was purely down to fitness.
We obviously can’t rule out an occasional Ben White (£5.3m) start in December, so William Saliba (£6.0m) may be the safest route into Arsenal’s rearguard. However, with the Frenchman mustering only two goal attempts and offering little DefCon potential (no Gunner bar Gabriel really does), is there that much of an upside? Particularly when Mosquera could easily step in to give Saliba’s legs a breather over Christmas, too.
Timber gets our vote, then.
Virgil van Dijk (£5.9m)
Elsewhere, Liverpool have a bunch of stand-out fixtures coming up. However, before staving off a crisis with much-needed wins (and clean sheets) versus Aston Villa and Real Madrid, the champions entered Gameweek 10 as the leakiest backline for conceding big chances (28).
The comfortable defeat to Manchester City brings up a fair question about whether Liverpool coverage is even necessary, at either end of the pitch.
Still, van Dijk is their captain who plays every match, is the position’s second-best for defensive contribution (DefCon) actions (119), and offers a well-known goal threat.
He hasn’t scored in 2025/26 so far but he did see one strike controversially disallowed at the Etihad Stadium. He next faces Nottingham Forest and West Ham United, the two worst teams at conceding from set pieces!
Maybe the imminent return of goalkeeper Alisson Becker (£5.4m) also kickstarts an improvement that FPL managers will want to be part of.
As for Ibrahima Konate (£5.4m), you can check out his credentials in the Gameweek 12 differentials article.
A Palace defender
Another strong option is to grab flying wing-back Daniel Munoz (£5.8m), or cheaper Crystal Palace colleagues Marc Guehi (£5.1m), Maxence Lacroix (£5.0m) and Chris Richards (£4.5m). Any of those allows coverage of a defence who have secured five clean sheets, a tally only Arsenal can better.
- READ MORE: Guehi injury latest after England withdrawal
If it’s attacking threat you want, Munoz is usually the go-to. The Colombian was last season’s best at the back for penalty area shots, expected goals (xG) and shots on target. He currently leads the way for the latter (six) in 2025/26 and has set up three big chances, too.
One thing to note is that he’s withdrawn from international duty “for family reasons”, so it’s maybe worth hanging on till Oliver Glasner’s presser for more information.
The same too for Guehi, who bowed out of the England squad with some heavy bone bruising. Guehi is an excellent all-rounder who offers DefCon potential and attacking threat. He’s even outcreated Munoz this season and is basically level for xG with the Colombian, so with the DefCon extras and lower price, there’s a strong case to go with the centre-back – if he’s fit.
As for Lacroix v Richards, they offer almost exactly the same stats: 117 v 118 defensive contributions (the best at Palace), 12 v 12 DefCon points, 5 v 4 shots and 2 v 3 chances created.
One caveat with Richards is that Oliver Glasner has mentioned recently about managing his minutes. He’s done that in the cup competitions this season, and the good news is that Richards didn’t go away with the USA over the international break. With Palace being the busiest Premier League team over Christmas and New Year, however, could the American centre-half drop out of a league XI here or there? Lacroix (Guehi if fit) might be the safer bet, then, despite Richards offering the saving.
Nico O’Reilly (£5.0m)
It’s always risky picking a Man City asset. Especially one who plays in a position that, historically, Josko Gvardiol (£5.8m) has excelled at.
But the England international may have a clear run there once Rayan Ait-Nouri (£5.7m) goes to the African Cup of Nations (AFCON).
- READ MORE: AFCON 2025 – The FPL players set to benefit
O’Reilly has actually started seven of Man City’s last eight league games, and they lost the other. His latest three starts have seen scores of 11, eight and 11, as no other defender has racked up more shots over this sample size.
Above: The defenders with the most goal attempts between Gameweeks 8 and 11
Pep Guardiola’s side is enjoying a better run now than the stunning stutter of 12 months ago. After Saturday’s trip to Newcastle United, they’re second on our Fixture Ticker between Gameweeks 13 and 19.
Matthijs de Ligt (£5.0m)
Across the city, a pick that’s mostly based on upcoming opponents and game-time security.
We can’t ignore the fact that Manchester United have kept just one clean sheet this season. But an improvement in form coincides with them topping the ticker during these next 10 Gameweeks:
Having played every minute of this campaign, de Ligt is the safest route into the Red Devils’ backline. He also scored last time, in the draw at Tottenham Hotspur.
Undoubtedly a differential pick, the 26-year-old boasts DefCon points from four of his 11 matches. He’s fallen one short of the threshold on a further two occasions.
Jan Paul van Hecke (£4.4m)
Finally, those using Gabriel’s injury as an opportunity to raise money can find good value in van Hecke. He’s part of an improving defence, brings in good DefCon figures and is about to embark on some appealing fixtures.
A goal has helped him accumulate 29 points over his latest five matches. As a team, Brighton and Hove Albion are the season’s joint-fourth-best defence for conceding big chances (17) and shots inside the box (74).
It took until Gameweek 10 for the Seagulls’ first clean sheet to arrive. However, they’ve now kept two in a row, in time for an attractive schedule that only needs some rotation for their trips to Liverpool and Arsenal.
Van Hecke is now among the top 10 defenders for defensive contributions:
Banking DefCon points in five of his last eight starts, he was one contribution away from more in Gameweek 10.
