Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur are gearing up for the North London derby after the international break, but Thomas Frank has just issued an update which could worry Riccardo Calafiori.
The Gunners will be baying for blood, having been held to a frustrating 2-2 draw with Sunderland over the weekend.
Mikel Arteta and the team will be eager to bounce back to winning ways in the North London derby, however, they could face a Spurs team with a key player back.
Thomas Frank has issued some early injury team news ahead of the derby, and it could well be a concern for Riccardo Calafiori.
Thomas Frank expects Mohammed Kudus to be back for the North London derby
Tottenham boss Thomas Frank expects Mohammed Kudus to be available for the North London derby at the Emirates Stadium.
Kudus, who was linked with Arsenal, missed Tottenham’s 2-2 draw with Manchester United over the weekend due to injury.
According to Football.London, the 24-year-old has not reported for international duty with Ghana and is set to remain in North London during the break.
MORE ARSENAL STORIES
Speaking to the media ahead of the clash with Man United, Spurs’ new manager told the media: “Very confident that he (Kudus) should be available for the next one (versus Arsenal).”
The winger has been in great form for Gunners’ bitter rivals this season, and Spurs have certainly missed him whilst he’s been out.
Tottenham will now hope the former West Ham United star will be fully fit and raring to go after the international break.
Riccardo Calafiori versus Mohammed Kudus could be an interesting match-up
Calafiori is the most likely candidate to face Kudus, given that the Spurs man will start on the right-hand side for the Lilywhites.
During this campaign, Calafiori has been one of the best full-backs in Europe, but there has been one noticeable weakness which the Italian has shown.
At times, the 25-year-old has struggled with one-versus-one defending, and if there’s one player you don’t want to get into a duel with from Spurs, it’s Kudus.
The Italian defender has been superb offensively this term, but in defence, he’s been accused of being over-aggressive and over-committing early in one-versus-one situations.
No player has completed more take-ons this season in Europe’s top five leagues than the Spurs star, and this could be a concern for Calafiori.