Mikel Arteta won’t be best pleased at the Premier League’s latest announcement ahead of Arsenal’s next fixture.
The countdown is now on to the first North London derby of the season as Arsenal host Tottenham Hotspur at the Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners will be desperate to return to winning ways, having dropped points late on in their last match before the international break away at Sunderland.
However, Arsenal fans and Mikel Arteta will be slightly less confident after seeing the referee who has just been appointed for the match.
Michael Oliver will be in charge of the North London derby
The Premier League have confirmed that Michael Oliver will be in charge of the North London derby on the weekend.
This will be the first time Oliver has taken charge of an Arsenal match since 25 January, when he controversially sent off Myles Lewis-Skelly.
Last season, the Gunners defeated Wolves 1-0 as Riccardo Calafiori netted the only goal of the game in the 74th minute.
However, Arsenal’s chances of winning were almost ruined after the referee wrongly sent off the young defender just before half-time.
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Lewis-Skelly’s red card was overturned by the FA, who later admitted that the defender was wrongly dismissed.
The North London club won’t have forgotten the incident and will have been somewhat frustrated when Oliver was announced as the official for Sunday’s clash.
Tottenham at the Emirates is always a tricky fixture to manage for any referee, and Oliver will need to be at his best this weekend.
Arteta’s team will know what they need to do on Sunday, as Manchester City will have faced Newcastle the day before, away at St James’ Park.
Michael Oliver’s record in charge of Arsenal matches
Oliver has been put in charge of 62 Arsenal matches in total, the second-most of any club behind Liverpool.
During those matches, the Gunners have a 50 per cent win rate, but have lost 13 of them under the English official.
Meanwhile, Oliver has shown eight red cards in Arsenal matches, issued 109 yellows and awarded five spot kicks.