The Emirates is set to play host to an all-important North London Derby, with the stakes high for Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur to make a statement.
Arsenal have largely dominated the North London Derbies with Tottenham Hotspur in the Mikel Arteta reign, as is the case with London Derbies in general. This Gunners side have forged a reputation of being a hard-to-beat team in the last three years at the very least, and their manager is the main reason for this fortification.
The context of the upcoming North London Derby for Arsenal is huge, with Arteta’s side currently sitting top of the Premier League table despite the late concession of a draw against Sunderland away from home. The dropped points at the Stadium of Light did leave a sour taste for their fans, given the context of that weekend when arch title rivals Manchester City and Liverpool had to play the next day, with the former now four points adrift.
Arsenal have a tough run of games coming up, and from one angle, this could be a defining moment in their season. First up, they meet Tottenham at the Emirates, followed by Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League, then a short trip to West London to take on Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
Six points in either of those league games would cement their status are absolute favourites for the title, as a drop off could allow Manchester City to further close the gap or even go past the Gunners in the standings.
While Arsenal sit on top of the Premier League table, Tottenham come into this edition of the North London Derby as the best away team in the division. Thomas Frank’s side have utterly struggled at home, but on the road, they have the best points-per-game ratio and have conceded the fewest goals so far.
Tottenham have had some mixed results of late, with a loss to Chelsea followed by a dramatic draw with Manchester United. They need a statement victory to at least make everyone else around them understand how serious about challenging for something this season.
Spurs have lost five of their last six North London Derbies, home and away, and Frank has a big task on his hands to arrest this particular slump. Their last victory in this fixture came at the end of the 2021/22 season at their stadium, and their bad run of form in enemy territory is something their fans want to see change. In the context of their season, a win at the Emirates will propel Tottenham to new heights and even within range of Arsenal in the standings.
Team News & Tactics
Arsenal
The international break did create a big problem for Arsenal as key defender Gabriel Magalhaes suffered a thigh injury that is now expected to keep him out for one or two months. The fact that Carlo Ancelotti played the centre-back in a friendly has angered the Gunners fanbase, and Mikel Arteta must find a solution to replace a player probably deemed the most important performer at the moment.
The defensive depth at Arteta’s disposal will be key to addressing the absence of Gabriel. The key action here would be to make minimal changes, as the Arsenal boss has leaned towards that philosophy in the past, meaning instead of replacing the Brazilian with another left-footed defender, he might bring in Cristhian Mosquera alongside William Saliba at the back.
There were concerns about Riccardo Calafiori’s fitness, having missed the Italy games, but the 23-year-old is deemed to be fit for the North London Derby. There have been rumours of some of their injured attacking players making a comeback into the squad, something Arteta insisted could be a possibility, but remained coy on who those players are.
Assuming Viktor Gyokeres is not expected to be available, Mikel Merino is likely to lead the line for Arsenal against Tottenham. The one defensive change aside, Arsenal are expected to maintain a similar setting from their draw at Sunderland, with Bukayo Saka, Eberechi Eze and Leandro Trossard all featuring behind Merino in the attacking setup.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Raya; Timber, Saliba, Mosquera, Calafiori; Zubimendi, Rice; Saka, Eze, Trossard; Merino
Tottenham Hotspur
In the build-up to the North London Derby, Tottenham had up to thirteen players either out of contention or in significant doubt for this clash. However, Thomas Frank has received a massive boost by confirming that eight of their injured stars have resumed training, including Mohammed Kudus, Lucas Bergvall, and Pape Matar Sarr.
This injury update does allow Frank to name a strong lineup at the Emirates, which could include skipper Cristian Romero, who was a doubt leading up to the game. The Argentine international played the whole ninety in a friendly against Angola and is now primed to start alongside Micky van de Ven at the back, while Pedro Porro and Djed Spence could be preferred in the full-back roles.
Frank may also make a late decision on his starting striker, as Richarlison is the current favourite to lead the line. Randal Kolo Muani is also available despite a fractured jaw, as the manager confirmed the Frenchman has trained well this week while wearing a protective mask.
Joao Palinha and Pape Matar Sarr will be the preferred central midfielders, while Xavi Simons will continue to assume the attacking midfield berth. Kudus on the right and Wilson Odobert likely to be preferred on the left, Richarlison is widely expected to lead the line for Tottenham against Arsenal.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Spence; Palhinha, Sarr; Kudus, Simons, Odobert; Richarlison
Key Stats
Arsenal are undefeated in their last eight matches in the Premier League.
Arsenal are unbeaten in six top-flight North London Derby clashes, winning five of those ties.
Tottenham have the best away record in the Premier League this season after accumulating 13 points out of a possible 15.
Tottenham have managed to win just once in their last 19 visits to the Emirates, with the sole victory achieved back in 2010.
Tottenham are the only side still unbeaten away from home in the Premier League this season (W4 D1). Spurs have the joint-most points (13), the joint-most goals (12) and the fewest goals conceded (3) of any side on the road this term.
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Eberechi Eze
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Eze was the talking point back in the summer when reports claimed he was extremely close to joining Spurs, but Arsenal swooped in late to capture the attacker. Hence, there will be a level of focus on the England international, who is coming into this clash on the back of a top-notch goal for the national side against Serbia.
On to Arsenal, who continue to miss the presence of skipper Martin Odegaard, and Eze has since deputised for the Norwegian playmaker. What has been lacking is a cutting-edge performance from the former Crystal Palace star, and this edition of the North London Derby would be the perfect platform for him to rise to the occasion.
Prediction
Arsenal 2-0 Tottenham Hotspur
On paper, this might represent an even context, given the raft of injuries at Arsenal and the many returning stars for Tottenham. However, the visitors have a dreadful record and certainly carry many defensive lapses in their team as well as attacking issues to an extent that the Gunners can exploit.
Despite not having the formidable Gabriel at the back, Arsenal’s defensive depth can hold fort against any side, let alone Tottenham. Not only are the Gunners expected to collect three points in this edition of the North London Derby, but they are also likely to keep a clean sheet in the process.