Although Gabriel has been at Arsenal for almost a year, he’s yet to feature in a north London derby but rest assured, the centre back’s done his research.

Speaking ahead of the big match on Sunday, the Brazilian revealed that the players have been taught about the importance that surrounds derby days in north London and the strong defender seems up for the challenge.

“What they tell me about the history and importance of derbies is that it’s a rivalry that is really big,” he said.

“It’s also about the history that Arsenal has of giving all it has in every match, of being determined.

“I think you enter the pitch differently in a derby, you prepare yourself during the week in a totally different way. You go in with your head thinking differently and everything is very different.

“You’re much more focused and the same happens with the rivals. That’s what makes it such a difficult, complicated game for both sides.”

North London derbies are huge and as fans, a lot of the time all we want to do is see that reflected in our team’s performance. This isn’t always easy when players come from other countries and leagues and don’t really understand the history of the rivalry.

It’s great to see players like Gabriel brushing up on said history and preparing themselves for the big day. Footballers who have been at the club for a while know how massive this day is in the calendar and will hopefully be getting everyone geared up for the match.