Arsenal take on Tottenham Hotspur right after the international break, and Thomas Frank must be having nightmares.
The Dane has already had a small taste of this fixture. The two sides met in a friendly in Asia during pre-season, and Spurs ended up winning that game.
However, Frank will know that a clash in the Premier League is a completely different ball game, and Arsenal’s issues must be causing him all sorts of problems now as he prepares for the game.
Arsenal’s injury issues must be confusing Thomas Frank
Thomas Frank puts a lot of emphasis on preparation ahead of his side’s games.
He likes to study the opposition, find out which players are a threat, who are the weak points and how his men can exploit them.
That will once again be the case ahead of Tottenham’s trip to the Emirates Stadium, but Frank must be scratching his head because he has no idea which Arsenal players are available.
Gabriel Magalhaes is almost certainly out, but that hasn’t been confirmed yet. Martin Odegaard, Viktor Gyokeres, Noni Madueke, Riccardo Calafiori, Kai Havertz, Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus are all doubts.
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Arsenal’s starting lineup will look completely different if all of those players are available at Mikel Arteta’s disposal, but nobody knows how many of them will be declared fit.
To make things worse for Frank, the Gunners have been very careful with the training pictures they have released ahead of the North London Derby.
There are many snaps of Jesus, but none of the other names above can be seen at the Sobha Realty Training Centre. That, however, doesn’t mean they are unavailable, which leaves Frank guessing.
What is your prediction for the North London Derby?
Six Arsenal players will surely start vs Tottenham
Despite all the injuries Arsenal have at the moment, six of their players are almost certain to start in the North London Derby against Tottenham.
David Raya was an unused substitute in Spain’s two fixtures in the international break, so there are no injury concerns around him. He should start in goal.
In defence, William Saliba and Jurrien Timber are both set to start, while Martin Zubimendi and Declan Rice are expected to do the same in the middle of the park.