Arsenal head into Sunday's north London derby against Tottenham as the Premier League leaders and firm favourites, but former defender Sol Campbell has a warning for them
Arsenal should be wary of underestimating Tottenham in the north London derby, despite the Gunners coming into the match as clear favourites, according to Sol Campbell. Mikel Arteta’s side are sitting pretty at the top of the Premier League table, eight points better off than their rivals, but injuries have helped level the playing field.
Arsenal will be without star centre-back Gabriel Magalhaes for the 4.30pm kick-off at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, while there are question marks over Riccardo Calafiori, Martin Odegaard, Noni Madueke, Kai Havertz, Gabriel Martinelli and Viktor Gyokeres.
The Gunners did the double over Spurs in the league last season, winning 2-1 at home and 1-0 away. They have, in fact, won three in a row and five of the last six in the Premier League and have a fantastic home record in north London derbies, with just one defeat in the last 32 league games – and that came way back in November 2010.
Everything would appear to point to an Arsenal victory, but Campbell – who famously played for both clubs – has called on the Gunners to keep their concentration. “They (Spurs) have got nothing to lose, and so the defenders have to counteract that and make sure they're ready for the game because sometimes when you’ve got nothing to lose, you do things in certain scenarios,” he told Football London on behalf of Paddy Power.
“You do this run, but you probably never usually do that type of run, and you can surprise. That's the thing with a team that’s looking to upset, they're willing to try things. And sometimes you can't always predict, and that's the thing. I think Arsenal have to be wary that they have nothing to lose, and that's a scary place to be in.
“You've got to handle that because, if they lose two or three nil, who cares? But they might nick a 2-1 win, and that changes the whole perspective of the league.”
Gabriel is expected to be out until January with the thigh injury he suffered while away on international duty with Brazil. The centre-back is a key piece of the Europe’s best defence, which has conceded just five times in 11 league games, but Campbell believes their squad depth should see their momentum continue after the international break.
“This is a special moment when you've got a great squad, you've got a great mentality,” he said. “The manager has acquired and forged this top team from great products of the youth system to buy really cleverly in the market, and they know there's no time to switch off anymore.
“They've got to keep this momentum going because momentum can just go like a flash if you do not respect it, and I think everyone's on it, on and off the field. I think they're looking after themselves because they know how important it is.”