Both Arsenal and Tottenham have been hit with injury crises ahead of this Sunday’s North London Derby, with up to 20 players set to be sidelined for the Emirates Stadium clash. This fixture is usually among the fiercest in English football, and while dramatic moments have not failed to live up to expectations in recent seasons, this weekend’s 198th meeting between the two London sides could end up proving slightly anti-climactic.
The Gunners have no doubt made light work of derby day in recent seasons, having not lost to their biggest rivals since 2022 - winning five of the last six encounters and drawing the other 2-2. But with just three places and eight points separating the two sides in the Premier League after 11 games, there is hope that this could be the most hotly contested edition in recent memory.
Needless to say, however, the selection headaches for both Mikel Arteta and Thomas Frank mean Sunday afternoon’s titanic battle has become a whole lot more unpredictable. Astonishingly, Gabriel’s injury during Brazil’s mostly meaningless friendly with Senegal, which could see him miss up to two months, is just the tip of the iceberg in a series of setbacks that could take the sting out of the contest.
Up to 20 Players Unavailable For Arsenal vs Tottenham
Indeed, Gabriel is the biggest name out for Arteta, with the Brazilian defender’s aerial prowess being a major reason the Gunners have had so much success from set-pieces this season, scoring via their dead-ball superiority on 11 occasions. Gabriel Jesus and Noni Madueke also remain sidelined with injuries, with Kai Havertz' hopes of returning before the end of the year after picking up an ACL injury having been made more difficult after a relapse during his recovery.
Gabriel Martinelli is nearing a return, but Sunday may come too soon. Elsewhere, the extent of Viktor Gyokeres’ injury remains unknown, which could force his manager into shoehorning midfielder Mikel Merino into attack, as he had to do last season, while captain Martin Odegaard’s knee injury, his second setback of the season already, is expected to keep him out until December. See Arsenal's full injury list below:
Tottenham, however, have up to 13 players unavailable, showing that Arsenal may not be in the worst position after all. James Maddison is out for the season with an ACL injury, while Dejan Kulusevski, Dominic Solanke, Ben Davies, Radu Dragusin, Yves Bissouma, and Archie Gray have all been sidelined for most, if not all, of the 2025/26 campaign so far.