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Tottenham Hotspur are facing another huge challenge as they prepare to take on Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Wednesday night.

Spurs have made an excellent start to their European campaign with two wins and two draws to their name so far, most recently beating Copenhagen 4-0 on home turf earlier in November.

Since then things haven't gone well for Thomas Frank's side who secured a 2-2 draw with Manchester United, before being hammered 4-1 by fierce rivals Arsenal in the North London Derby on Sunday.

A trip to Paris is the perfect opportunity to bounce back, but make no mistake, they face a fierce test.

Paris Saint-Germain Team News

Luis Enrique will be without Achraf Hakimi for the visit of Tottenham. The Moroccan right-back suffered a nasty injury following a crunching tackle from Bayern Munich's former Liverpool star Luis Diaz in their last Champions League encounter. As a result, he's expected to be ruled out for a number of weeks.

PSG are also currently without Desire Doue (hamstring) and Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembele (calf) for the contest.

Despite the bad news, les Parisiens will welcome Bradley Barcola and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to the fold after both were restricted to appearances off the bench at the weekend.

Paris Saint-Germain Predicted XI

PSG predicted XI: Chevalier; Zaire-Emery, Zabarnyi, Pacho, Mendes; Ruiz, Vitinha, Neves; Lee, Barcola, Kvaratskhelia

PSG predicted subs: Kang-in, Mbaye, Hernandez, Ndjantou, Marquinhoes, Safanov, Boly

Enrique is likely to reintroduce both Barcola and Kvaratskhelia into the starting line-up. Warren Zaire-Emery is set to deputise for Hakimi at right-back while Fabian Ruiz will also start.

Tottenham Team News

Tottenham will be without Brennan Johnson for the trip to Paris as he serves a suspension. The forward was sent off during the 4-0 win over Copenhagen in the last round of games and will therefore sit this one out.

Spurs are also without a number of first team stars. James Maddison (ACL), Radu Dragusin (ACL), Kota Takai (thigh), Dejan Kulusevski (knee), Dominic Solanke (ankle), Yves Bissouma (ankle) and Mathys Tel (ineligible) are all set to miss out. Ben Davies could return.

Tottenham Predicted XI

Tottenham Predicted XI: Vicario; Porro, Danso, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Palhinha, Bergvall; Kudus, Kolo Muani, Richarlison.

Tottenham Predicted Subs: Simons, Sarr, Odobert, Tel, Gray, Spence, Kinsky

Frank is set to shuffle the pack following Sunday's horror show against Arsenal. Pedro Porro could return to the starting line-up, as could Lucas Bergvall. Kolo Muani is also a contender to return to the team. Wilson Odobert and Djed Spence are likely to be among those who drop to the bench.

Things do not get any easier for Tottenham Hotspur following their humbling defeat to Arsenal in the North London Derby on Sunday.

Spurs are back in Champions League action this Wednesday and face probably the toughest test of all - a trip to the Parc des Princes to face reigning European champions Paris Saint-Germain.

The two teams have actually already met this season - in the curtain-raiser for the 2025/26 campaign, the UEFA Super Cup.

And Spurs almost came out on top, impressing against PSG before the Champions League winners scored two late goals to draw the match 2-2 and then win the game on penalties against the Europa League champions.

Now, however, PSG are well and truly in their stride, with three wins from their four Champions League games so far, the defeat coming last time out against Bayern Munich who top the league phase table at the halfway stage.

Tottenham are unbeaten in the league phase so far, with two wins and two draws, but this will be by far their toughest test yet. And given what happened at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, Thomas Frank has some work to do to win back some of the supporters in N17.

There are plenty of murmurings of discontent, not just at the performance against the Gunners, but at the season overall so far.

Frank set Spurs up in a very defensive formation at the Emirates Stadium, with three centre-backs in Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven and Kevin Danso flanked by wing-backs Djed Spence and Destiny Udogie. With Joao Palhinha and Rodrigo Bentancur ahead of them, it was almost a back seven in front of Guglielmo Vicario, with Mohammed Kudus, Wilson Odobert and Richarlison the forward trio.

Frank has improved Tottenham defensively, but the attack has left a lot to be desired. The likelihood is, that against the Champions League holders, another defensive performance is on the cards on Wednesday night.

But how could he change it up and overhaul the starting XI to be more attack-minded?

Back four

After the debacle across north London, reverting to a back four is the easiest thing to do to start to win back the supporters.

Danso is likely to be the player to miss out, but Frank can also make one other change here, by bringing Pedro Porro back into the starting lineup at the expense of Spence. If Porro can get forward his delivery into the box can be extremely dangerous and a real threat to PSG.

Van de Ven and Romero should remain as the central duo, with Udogie still at left-back.

Midfield dynamism

Frank's midfield selection choices have come in for plenty of criticism from Spurs fans on a number of occasions this season already.

Palhinha and Bentancur have often been chosen to partner one another in the middle of the park as a double pivot, which does restrict Spurs' attacking abilities somewhat.

To really rip up his style guide and offer up a more dynamic midfield, Frank has teenagers Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall waiting in the wings. Gray could slot into the No.6 role, with Bergvall taking on the No.8 position, although they are both versatile enough to play either position.

there was a real lack of fight and ambition from the Spurs players on Sunday, both Bergvall and Gray would show those two things in spades.

Joining them in the midfield three should be Xavi Simons, who had to wait until half-time to come on against Arsenal and looked positive from the off, which would mean a completely different midfield from that seen on Sunday.

Up top

Then we get to the forward three. Odobert and Kudus had little chance to shine on Sunday, but there are not massive changes that can be made here.

Mathys Tel is not registered for this stage of the Champions League, while Brennan Johnson's red card against Copenhagen rules him out of this tie.

Coming up against his old club, Randal Kolo Muani is surely going to start through the middle and it could be a good idea to move Richarlison out to the left, where he operates a bit more effectively rather than as the focal point of the attack.

Kudus keeps his place on the right, with no one else to come in.

The changes

That would mean five changes from the team that started at the Emirates Stadium, with Spence, Danso, Palhinha, Bentancur and Odobert all dropping out of the lineup.

It would certainly be a more attacking lineup, which may or may not be the best idea against PSG, but would at least show the supporters there is an ambition from Frank to attack, having already focused on the defensive side of things.

Tottenham have slipped to ninth in the Premier League table and are without a win in their past three matches.

A timid defeat to Chelsea at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was followed by a chaotic 2-2 draw with Manchester United at the same venue, before Spurs were crushed in woeful style by rivals Arsenal in the North London Derby at the weekend.

Spurs had an Expected Goals total of 1.10 across the three big matches, with just 0.10 coming against the Blues and a shocking 0.07 in the North London Derby. Thomas Frank is going through a very difficult spell in his first season as Tottenham boss and there are already murmurings of discontent amongst the fanbase.

The January transfer window could be huge for Frank and his future in N17 and the transfer rumours have already started to surface.

Omorodion move?

Spurs have been linked with a move to sign Porto striker Samu Omorodion, according to Belgian football journalist Sacha Tavolieri.

The 21-year-old centre-forward, who is in his second season with Porto, has already notched nine goals and an assist in 15 games for the Portuguese side this season, adding to the 30 goal contributions he managed in 45 games for the club last season.

He was linked with a move to Chelsea before signing with Porto, agreeing personal terms with the Blues but failing to complete a deal after issues with an ankle injury in the medical and concerns over image rights.

According to Sky Sports in Switzerland, Spurs see Omorodion as the "ideal profile" to fit into Frank's system, with the frontman described as one of the "most followed attacking talents in Europe".

After calling him up to the senior Spain squad for the first time last year, Spanish national team coach Luis de le Fuente said: "Samu is just 20 and has the potential to be a top striker, but he has to keep growing and remain consistent. I hope he maintains his form for a long time because his room for improvement is massive."

Ben Mattinson is first team coach at Italian side Como and he described the striker as "elite".

Striker light

Frank has steadied the ship from a defensive point of view, but the attacking patterns of play have left a lot to be desired, despite having scored more goals than all but the top three teams in the league so far this season.

There has been a tendency to rely on set-piece goals, with nearly a third coming from there. Only Arsenal and Chelsea have scored more goals from set-pieces this season.

Richarlison's goal on Sunday was his fifth of the season, but Randal Kolo Muani is yet to find the back of the net, Mathys Tel has scored twice, with Brennan Johnson and Mohammed Kudus bagging one apiece.

Dominic Solanke has missed the entirety of the season so far through injury, while there are constant rumours around Richarlison's long-term future at the club.

Spurs are likely to be on the lookout for another frontman in the January transfer window and probably the summer too and Omorodion could be the perfect fit for a position that desperately needs a refresh.

Price tag

Porto paid just €15million for the youngster in 2024, just weeks after that €40million move to Chelsea fell through.

According to Transfermarkt.com, he has a market value currently of €50million, which is around £44million.

Spurs' owners ENIC have pumped a £100million cash injection into the club, ready to be used on Frank's squad in the January transfer window, so the funds are there to spend on Omorodion, should he be the chosen one to revamp the frontline in N17.

Eberechi Eze was the man of the moment on Sunday as Arsenal, amid a raft of injury issues, reigned triumphant in the first North London Derby of the 2025/26 campaign against Tottenham Hotspur. With a hat-trick of goals encapsulating the playmaker's rousing performance, there were question marks raised over his second strike of the affair – and former PGMOL chief Keith Hackett has now provided his verdict.

Richarlison, in the 55th minute, may have caught David Raya off his line with his wonderfully-lifted effort over the Spanish goalkeeper – but there were very few moments from a Spurs perspective to lift bums off seats. That isn't the case for Arsenal, who have now won four straight consecutive matches against their arch-rivals, and they have Eze to thank for his three-goal haul.

GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: Eberechi Eze's hat-trick against Spurs is the first in a North London Derby since Alan Sunderland back in December 1978.

There were no problems with his second and third strike – but the England international's first goal, four minutes shy of the half-time interval, raised the eyebrows of the travelling Spurs contingent. Eze was found by compatriot Declan Rice, and he carefully skipped beyond two challenges before netting past Guglielmo Vicario. His shot managed to evade the number of Arsenal shirts between him and the goal.

Keith Hackett Provides Clear Verdict on Whether Eze's Second Goal Should've Been Disallowed

And that's exactly why Arsenal's second – and Eze's first – of the encounter was highly contentious, as Vicario claimed that he was unable to see because of the melee of bodies in his eyeline. Referee Michael Oliver awarded the goal in controversial circumstances before VAR checked and cleared the 41st-minute strike which saw the Gunners double their lead before the half-time whistle.

The Premier League – in the hopes of clearing up the situation – took to X (formerly Twitter) to suggest there were no Arsenal players were in Vicario's line of vision. "The referee's call of goal was checked and confirmed by VAR – with it deemed that there were no Arsenal players in the line of vision of the goalkeeper, and they made no movement to impact an opponent while in an offside position."

Hackett, speaking to Football Insider, believes that Oliver and his refereeing entourage made the right decision on Sunday by allowing Eze's goal to stand amid cries from those associated to the visiting side. "I think, from my point of view, when you actually look at replays, you can see the goalkeeper has got a good sight line – and there's distance from the goalkeeper and the players that are offside," he said.

"Now, there are three Arsenal players standing in an offside position. That, in itself, is not an offence. So, what we have to look at is whether any of those three are interfering with an opponent?" And to do that, are they preventing an opponent from playing or being able to play the ball? The answer is no. Are they obstructing the opponent's line of vision? No. Are they challenging for the ball? No. I'm not going to rule that out."

"I argued very strongly about the Liverpool goal being ruled out," he said by referencing Virgil van Dijk's allowed header against Manchester City. The Reds skipper levelled proceedings in the 39th minute with his headed effort beyond Gianluigi Donnarumma – but Andy Robertson, who ducked out of the way, was adjudged to be in an offside position and impeding the goalkeeper's view of the goal.

"Yesterday, in the Manchester City vs Newcastle game, we had a player in an offside position – similar, just the one, and the goal was allowed to stand," Hackett continued as he reflected on decisions over the weekend. "So, I'm for consistency and I also don't think offside should be used as a means of ruling out good goals."

Watch Hackett's full verdict on Eze's first goal below:

Arsenal, following their 4-1 victory against Tottenham Hotspur at the Emirates Stadium to round off a frantic weekend of Premier League action, have now gone seven competitive matches unbeaten against their arch-rivals and Gary Neville, who was impressed by the Gunners' imperious showing, singled out the one Declan Rice worry he holds over Mikel Arteta's side.

Barring Richarlison's worldie in the second half, Thomas Frank's Spurs were a shadow of the team which beat Manchester City 2-0 in August – and conceding four goals in the fashion they did will be a concern moving forward. That's especially the case with a visit to Paris Saint-Germain's Parc des Princes on the horizon.

GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: Throughout his Arsenal career as a player or manager, Mikel Arteta has never lost a home game against Tottenham Hotspur in any competition.

Sunday afternoon's stroll in the park was dominated by Arsenal playmaker Eberechi Eze, who scored a hat-trick of strikes after Leandro Trossard drew first blood in the 36th minute. In the absence of Martin Odegaard, the summer recruit stepped up to the plate and became the first hat-trick hero in North London derbies of the Premier League era.

It'll no doubt be Eze's name basking in the spotlight after what looked a routine victory over their arch-rivals – but, truth be told, there were plenty of big performances that shouldn't go unnoticed. Bukayo Saka was a constant threat on the wing, Trossard's goal was the tip of the iceberg and Piero Hincapie looked comfortable at the back. Rice, too, was excellent.

Gary Neville Points Out Single Declan Rice Worry After 4-1 Win Over Spurs

Now six points clear at the top of the 2025/26 Premier League table, it'll take some doing to derail the Gunners' title pursuit as their enviable strength in depth means that many changes are like-for-like replacements. At the time of writing, Viktor Gyokeres, Odegaard, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Magalhaes are all out of action.

Neville, however, fears that Arsenal have one irreplaceable talent at the heart of their success and that's none other than midfield maestro Declan Rice. The Englishman, 26, moved from West Ham United in the summer of 2023 and has since featured for the capital club north of 100 times.

"The interesting thing is they’ve got [Riccardo] Calafiori and [Jurrien] Timber at full-back. Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ben White are probably better going forward, although there’s not much between White and Timber," he said on the Gary Neville Podcast. "They’ve got real options at full-back, real options at centre-back."

Likening the 1999-born ace to Manchester City lynchpin and the 2024 Ballon d'Or-winning Rodri and former Manchester United captain Roy Keane given how influential he is to proceedings in north London, Neville worries about how Arteta and his men would fare without Rice in the engine room.

"The only player you’d be worried about losing for a period of time would be Declan Rice because you can’t replace that. That’s your Roy Keane, that’s your Rodri, the player that holds you together. There’s only one of them."

"They have got options if he wasn’t there, but you’d never be able to replace the ability of him to be powerful on set-pieces, his running, his tackling, his impact on the game going forward," Neville continued before adding, "I’m really happy with Arsenal watching them this season, I like watching good teams play football."

Rice – and for very good reason, too – is widely regarded as one of the best midfielders in world football after consistently brilliant performances for the Gunners and, this season alone, he's registered eight goal involvements (two goals and six assists) in 18 appearances across all competitions. His influence moves beyond actions in the final third mind.

The perfect box-to-box presence, London-born Rice would be a sore miss if he was to pick up a long-term injury between now and the end of the campaign. Adding to that, Neville is also of the belief that Arsenal are the leading contenders for the Premier League trophy – and that's despite them finishing runners-up three seasons on the bounce.

"It’s not only a squad that should go on and win the Premier League, it’s a squad that I can see winning the Champions League in the next two or three years," he said before suggesting winning Europe's top table will be on the horizon in the seasons to come.

For the time being at least, it's Mikel Arteta's Arsenal who hold the bragging rights after putting Tottenham Hotspur to the sword in a 4-1 victory in the first North London Derby of the 2025/26 campaign. In what was a memorable occasion, both Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba took to Instagram to celebrate the win and troll Spurs' Richarlison.

Although it was Leandro Trossard to open the scoring after the Belgian was found by a brilliant Mikel Merino ball in the penalty area, Sunday's meeting with Thomas Frank's men was all about Eberechi Eze, who became the first Arsenal player since Alan Sunderland in December 1978 to score a hat-trick against their north London rivals.

GIVEMESPORT Key Statsitic: Eberechi Eze has scored the 400th hat-trick in Premier League history and also the 23rd player for Arsenal. In fact, no club has had more different hat-trick scorers since the league's rebrand in 1992.

Albeit in controversial fashion due to the fact there were Arsenal bodies between himself and Guglielmo Vicario, the 27-year-old playmaker grabbed his first four minutes before the half-time break before striking once again in the 46th minute. His third goal of the match – against a side he almost joined in the summer – came in the 76th minute.

Eze's name will be strung up in lights following his three-goal showcase on the weekend – but the foundations to win have been set for years and that's largely down to the central defensive partnership of Gabriel and Saliba. And, post-match, the two couldn't help but poke fun at Richarlison, who admittedly scored a worldie consolation five minutes shy of the hour mark.

Gabriel and Saliba Poke Fun at Richarlison After 4-1 North London Derby Win

Gabriel, who has been an ever-important piece to the puzzle at the Emirates Stadium, was unable to play in Arsenal's 4-1 victory on Sunday after picking up an injury while on international duty was Brazil. Earlier this month, the centre-back hobbled off during his nation's 2-0 win over Senegal and Arteta has since confirmed he'll be out for weeks.

He could still be seen celebrating Eze's hat-trick of strikes from the stands – and his post-match post has endeared himself to the Emirates Stadium more than was already possible.

Back in July, the Spurs forward took to Instagram to post a picture of him alongside his Man of the Match award, tagging Gabriel after a 1-0 win over Arsenal in a pre-season friendly in Hong Kong. At the time, the defender responded by sharing a picture of his three Premier League Player of the Match awards, all of which had been picked up against Spurs.

Making the most of Arsenal's win, he took to the same social media platform to pose in Eze's shirt with an Arsenal scarf wrapped round his neck. In the photo, too, was a signed match ball, the hat-trick hero's Player of the Match gong and his own Arsenal Player of the Month award from October.

Not only that, but he couldn't help himself but to tag Richarlison in the photo, too, as a subtle reminder of the chasm between the two sides from north London. As things stand, Arteta – widely regarded as one of the best managers in world football – and his team sit top of the Premier League; Spurs are current ninth with 18 points from 12 matches.

Across senior and youth sides, the pair have lined up alongside one another on ten different occasions – and Gabriel will hope that Richarlison can see the amusing side.

Saliba, too, couldn't help but get involved in the trolling of 28-year-old Richarlison, who has scored five Premier League goals since his side's curtain-raiser in August. The Frenchman – with the caption of "North London is still Red" – put up a picture of him tussling with the Spurs striker, who looked to be tumbling onto the floor.

The fifth picture of his carousel, again, included Richarlison – and it also depicted Saliba winning their match-long physical battle as he looked to be bringing his challenger to the floor. To rub even more salt into the wounds of Richarlison, the 24-year-old's post was re-posted by his partner in crime, Gabriel. Up next for the Gunners is mid-week Champions League action.

Thomas Frank was left looking stunned at what he was seeing as his Tottenham side were brushed aside by local rivals Arsenal on Sunday evening. Spurs were soundly beaten 4-1 by the Gunners, with Richarlison's wonderful long-range effort nothing more than a consolation.

Several first-team players proved to the manager that they can't be fully trusted in a big game. The visitors looked to be hanging on for dear life before Mikel Merino's superbly timed pass found Leandro Trossard in acres of space for the opening goal. Eberechi Eze added two strikes at either side of half-time before completing his hat-trick late on. Richarlison's effort led to some Arsenal nerves, but Mikel Arteta's men were still good value for the win.

Defeat sees Tottenham drop to 8th in the Premier League table, while their biggest rivals pulled six points clear of Chelsea at the top. Seeing the Gunners move closer to a first league crown in over two decades would have stung for Spurs fans, but not as much as the performances of this below-par quartet. Frank has some serious thinking to do ahead of the PSG clash in midweek, especially when it comes to the performances of four men.

Joao Palhinha

First up is a man who looked to be a shrewd signing at the start of the campaign. Joao Palhinha was a monster during his first stint in the Premier League with Fulham. However, his return to England has started going downhill... fast.

The Portugal international's ability to put out fires and sniff out danger in the engine room is still there, but we're seeing glimpses of why it didn't work out at a club like Bayern Munich. Palhinha is limited in possession and struggles to keep the ball moving effectively enough to warrant a guaranteed starting berth. Fans were quick to point out his disappointing display at the Emirates, with one claiming: "Should’ve known what we were in for when he chose to sign Palhinha over a proper passing midfielder. That represents everything Frank has tried to do with this team."

Another added: "Palhinha is shockingly bad. Bentancur is worse somehow. Both need shipping off," with a hint at the player we'll be getting to next. The final nail in the coffin for the defensive midfielder came when a third stated: "Palhinha btw. I've given him countless chances to show his worth; the guy is so poor. Couldn't care less how many tackles he makes. Been useless today and I don't want to see us sign him at all. Painfully average footballer."

Rodrigo Bentancur

Palhinha's midfield partner, Rodrigo Bentancur, couldn't escape the frustration of supporters online either. The two men were absolutely dominated by Declan Rice, Martin Zubimendi and Eze in the middle of the park. That's often the case for midfields going to Arsenal, but the manner in which they rolled over was worrying.

One fan was adamant Frank should be answering for his decision to constantly choose a pairing that clearly doesn't work: "Playing Palhinha and Bentancur together more than 3 times should be a sackable offence alone."

Destiny Udogie

Destiny Udogie hasn't been a regular starter under the former Brentford boss. Off-field issues may have played into that, but the young Italian also just doesn't look suited to Frank's system. A player who burst onto the scene as an energetic full-back who wanted to overlap at every given opportunity, now looks like a shadow of his former self.

He couldn't cope with Bukayo Saka at all and was sloppy in possession. Udogie lost the ball 13 times, which only invited even more pressure onto his team. Whether it was just a poor day at the office or a sign that the left-back may struggle as long as the Dane is in charge is yet to be seen, but the early signs are more than worrying.

Kevin Danso

Some eyebrows were raised when the teamsheets showed Tottenham lining up with Kevin Danso alongside the first-choice centre-back pairing, Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero. There was some sense to the decision as, on paper, it would provide defensive stability while also giving Danso the opportunity to cause havoc with his long throw-in.

In reality, it was a totally different story. The Austrian fell asleep for the opening goal as he allowed Trossard to drift away from him and into the penalty area unmarked. His poor performance was compounded by a half-time withdrawal, showing Frank knew he'd got it wrong. Danso actually won all three of his duels, but was an obvious target for Arsenal's press as his on-the-ball capabilities are extremely limited.

Mikel Arteta's Arsenal took charge of the first North London derby of the 2025/26 campaign with goals from Leandro Trossard and Eberechi Eze in the first half – but many were under the impression that Eze's goal in the 41st minute should have been disallowed as there were a sea of bodies in Guglielmo Vicario's eyeline. The Premier League has now provided a reason behind the decision.

After a poor first half an hour from both sides, it was Arsenal's Trossard who drew first blood in the 36th minute as midfielder-turned-striker Mikel Merino scooped a ball into the vicinity of the Belgian, who shot first time to open the scoring. Eze, who had the chance to sign for Tottenham Hotspur in the summer of 2025, then provided a sucker punch for the Gunners just minutes later.

GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: Arsenal have scored in each of their last 27 Premier League home games against Tottenham, and have now netted at least twice in each of the last nine.

Doubling their lead with a brilliantly-worked goal, Eze was found with a pass by Declan Rice. He skipped beyond two challenges in the Tottenham danger area before guiding his right-footed shot through a melee of bodies between himself and Vicario. However, there were concerns over the eligibility of the Englishman's strike given Vicario's line of vision was impeded by Arsenal players.

Watch Eberechi Eze's goal against Tottenham Hotspur:

Premier League Explain Michael Oliver's Decision to Allow Eze Goal in North London Derby

As seen in the footage above, Eze – who scored not long after both sides re-emerged from the half-time interval to make it three for Arteta and his men – let rip inside the 18-yard box to double his side's lead and, although it shows they are attempting to get out the way, both Trossard and Martin Zubimendi are clearly in the way of Vicario's vision. As a result, the Italian shot stopper was unable to react to the deflections.

Clearing up any confusion, the Premier League Match Centre took to X (formerly Twitter) to confirm that Michael Oliver's initial decision was checked by VAR. There were, however, no players in Arsenal colours in front of Guglielmo Vicario, it was claimed, and that's why the goal was allowed to stand.

"The referee’s call of goal was checked and confirmed by VAR – with it deemed that there were no Arsenal players in the line of vision of the goalkeeper, and they made no movement to impact an opponent while in an offside position."

Vicario, given his vision – and ability to save Eze's shot – was impaired, gestured to the refereet to insist that he couldn't see and Gary Neville, on co-commentary alongside Peter Drury, noted the action but added that VAR had "looked at" and subsequently "dismissed" any idea that Oliver would reverse his original decision.

Spurs legend Les Ferdinand, who was joined by Thierry Henry and Jamie Carragher on Sky Sports at half-time, had plenty to say about Oliver's decision to not chalk off Eze's first. Per The Daily Star, the former centre-forward claimed that he was surprised that Eze's goal was allowed to stand given Vicario's sight was affected.

"I will say, I don't understand how this [Arsenal players] doesn't affect the goalkeepers sight [on the second goal]. I'm not sure how that's not been looked at."

Despite the goal being checked and cleared by those manning VAR, there can be comparisons drawn between Eze's first of the affair and Virgil van Dijk's header against Manchester City earlier this month. The Liverpool skipper nodded home in the 38th minute of the match – but it was later chalked off as Andy Robertson was deemed to be in the eyeline of City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Arsenal have received a potential major boost ahead of the North London derby against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday after four of their injured players were spotted on the team's morning walk by journalist Simon Collings.

Mikel Arteta was hopeful of having some of his attackers back and available for the visit of Thomas Frank's side, with Martin Odegaard, Gabriel Martinelli and Noni Madueke all seemingly having a chance of being fit to face Spurs after being seen on Sunday morning, while defender Riccardo Calafiori was also present.

Arsenal Boosted Ahead of North London Derby

While Arsenal sit comfortably top of the Premier League table as things stand, injuries have been a problem for Arteta in recent weeks - especially in attack.

Captain Odegaard, Martinelli and Madueke have all been missing - joining Kai Havertz and Viktor Gyokeres as long-term absentees on the sidelines - leaving Bukayo Saka, Mikel Merino and Leandro Trossard as the preferred front three.

However, Sunday morning's sighting by Collings suggests that Odegaard, Martinelli and Madueke could all be involved, in what would be a huge boost for Arsenal after they had to rely on a lot of youth and inexperience on the bench in recent matches.

Meanwhile, Calafiori was involved for Arsenal prior to the international break but then missed both of Italy's matches with an unspecified issue.

His availability would be a major boost for Arteta too, with Gabriel being ruled out for 'weeks' having picked up an injury while away with Brazil in the last fortnight.

The Spanish manager will now need to find a new consistent partner for William Saliba, with Calafiori and Jurrien Timber two options to partner the Frenchman.

Arsenal Have a Big Opportunity

The North London derby is always the biggest game of Arsenal's season, but this one takes on extra significance.

The Gunners are already top of the table but after seeing two of their title rivals - Liverpool and Manchester City - defeated on Saturday, this is a big chance to increase their lead at the summit.

A win against Spurs would see them pull six points clear of second-placed Chelsea, while they would be seven ahead of City and 11 in front of Liverpool with almost a third of the season gone.

Based on the early weeks of the season, Arsenal and Arteta won't have a better chance of winning their first Premier League title since 2004.

A fitness boost in attack and defence could be vital to get another three points over the line on Sunday.

Arsenal have a number of injury doubts heading into the big North London Derby clash with Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday afternoon.

Gabriel Magalhaes was the latest name added to the injury list this week, after he limped out of Brazil's friendly with Senegal in the international break and he is now out for a number of weeks.

The big centre-back will be a huge miss for the North London Derby clash at the Emirates Stadium, having formed a formidable partnership with William Saliba in the heart of the Arsenal defence.

But while one door closes, some others could open for manager Mikel Arteta.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference, he was giving little away about the players who could or could not return to action for the big game.

Energy

Whena asked about a number of players like Kai Havertz, Martin Odegaard, Viktor Gyokeres, Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus and Noni Madueke, the Arsenal boss said: "We put a lot of energy during the international break with all the medical staff as well to try to bring them as quick as possible. So tomorrow we have another training session, see how some of them are feeling, whether it's a bit too close to bring them in this game or we feel that they can have a contribution in the game. So tomorrow we'll have more clarity."

When pushed for further details ahead of the weekend's game, he added: "I'm hopeful that we can make another step tomorrow (Saturday), but certainly I cannot tell you. I can [tell you names] but no."

One of those players on the sidelines has dropped a major hint he is ready to return to action though, by writing just that - ready.

Ahead of the North London Derby, Arsenal put out a video asking the players what the fixture meant to them, asking them to write it on a whiteboard.

Ready

A number of descriptive words like "hungry" and "passion" came out, but Martinelli chose to write the word "ready" instead.

The Brazilian has missed the last four Arsenal games with a groin injury, but has been back in training and could return to action for the game with Spurs on Sunday.

His message on the whiteboard certainly got the fans talking. Viktor Gyokeres was also spotted writing a message, which could indicate he is also available to play in the big match.

selasiattiogbe1 replied to the post: "Gyokeressss writing exciting? He’s 100% playing."

kimmymariaxx wrote: "Martinelli wrote "Ready" ahhhh don't gass me."

Captain Martin Odegaard was another to write his message on the whiteboard, leading to thoughts he could return too. The skipper simply wrote: "Red" on the board but it was enough to get supporters excited about his involvement.