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Tottenham Hotspur are head and shoulders above the rest of the Premier League when it comes to cumulative matches missed by their injured players this season.

Spurs have had yet another injury crisis at the start of this season, which is something that Tottenham fans have become used to over the last two years.

Ahead of the North London derby, Arsenal have suffered some key injuries, and some Gunners fans on social media are extremely frustrated at the development.

However, the data clearly shows that Thomas Frank’s men have had to deal with much worse injury problems than their North London rivals.

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Tottenham sit at the top of the injury league table

The Athletic has now ranked the 20 Premier League teams based on the number of injuries suffered both during this season and those carried over from last campaign.

They have also calculated the number of league games missed as a result of these injuries.

The data shows that Tottenham and Man City have had the most players out injured this season, with both clubs missing 16 players at different times.

However, Spurs players have missed the most matches by far, with the 16 injured players missing a cumulative 72 matches as opposed to Man City’s 40.

Arsenal have had injuries to 12 different players, who have missed a total of 48 matches this season.

Tottenham have been without the services of James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, Radu Dragusin and Kota Takai for the whole of the 25/26 season to date, while the likes of Dominic Solanke and Ben Davies have also missed significant game time.

Spurs’ injury crisis has not received enough media attention

The media and even many Tottenham fans have ignored the club’s injury crisis so far this season, even though this data suggests that it is as bad as it was last season.

That is partly down to the fact that Spurs have still managed to put out relatively strong teams, which shows that the squad has been improved considerably.

While assessing Thomas Frank’s start to life at N17, one has to take into account the sheer number of players unavailable to him, which has undoubtedly made his job more complicated.

However, to the Dane’s credit, he has never once used the injuries as an excuse so far.

Ivan Toney has just made a decision on his future at Al-Ahli, and the news comes as a huge boost to Tottenham Hotspur.

Over the last two weeks, a number of journalists and outlets have been playing down Tottenham’s chances of landing the England international in January.

It has been suggested that Spurs may have to put off their pursuit of Toney until next summer, while other reports have indicated that Tottenham have not received any encouragement about a January move from Toney’s camp.

It has been suggested that the former Brentford striker is happy in Saudi Arabia for the time being, but it appears that he has now had a change of heart.

Ivan Toney is ready to take a pay cut to seal England return

According to a new update from TEAMtalk, the centre-forward has now told his close associates that he is ready to take a salary cut to return to the Premier League in January.

The report says that Tottenham are currently at the front of the queue to land Toney, but he is also attracting ‘serious interest’ from Everton.

The striker is thought to have his eyes set on earning a place in Thomas Tuchel’s England squad for the 2026 World Cup.

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Toney beleives that to do that, he needs to be getting regular minutes under his belt against elite opposition, and is thus ready to return to these shores in the upcoming transfer window.

The report says that Thomas Frank views the former Bees star as the clinical number nine that his side currently lacks, and Spurs have already held preliminary talks with his camp.

Toney has work to do to convince Al-Ahli about the January departure

TEAMtalk claim that the England international has already informed Al-Ahli of his desire to return to the Premier League in January.

However, the Saudi club remain adamant that they will not let their star man go and are prepared to reject any approaches in January.

The publication adds that Toney’s camp are now ‘working on a compromise’ with his club, and he is prepared to accept wages closer to £200,000 a week (around half his current salary) in order to seal a January move.

Paris Saint-Germain have received a big blow ahead of their Champions League clash with Tottenham Hotspur next week.

While all eyes will be on the upcoming North London derby on Sunday for Tottenham, the Lilywhites have another huge game coming up just a few days later.

Spurs travel to Paris next Wednesday to take on PSG, which is undoubtedly their toughest assignment of the league phase.

Tottenham are on course to qualify for the knockout stages of the Champions League, with two wins and two draws from their four matches, and they have now been handed a boost ahead of their trip to France.

PSG expected to be without key players for Tottenham clash

Ahead of the international break, Spurs Web covered that some PSG players are in a race against time to be fit for the Tottenham clash.

Now, a report from Le Parisien has revealed that the Ligue 1 giants have some bad news ahead of their game against the Premier League side.

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Achraf Hakimi has been ruled out of the game, with the right-back expected to spend a few more weeks on the sidelines.

Additionally, it is revealed that the outlook on Ousmane Dembele and Nuno Mendes is also not positive, with the Spurs clash potentially coming too early for the pair.

Desire Doue is another player who is currently on the treatment table, and there is no clarity on whether he will be fit to face the Lilywhites.

Spurs can take heart from heroic performance in Super Cup

While the French side come into the game as massive favourites, Tottenham gave an excellent account of themselves against PSG in the Super Cup back in August.

Although the Parisians emerged victorious on penalties in Udine, even Luis Enrique admitted that Spurs were the better team in the Super Cup clash.

That was one of the rare occasions where Thomas Frank has gone in with a back three this season, and it will be interesting to see if he adopts the same playbook next Wednesday.

Thomas Frank has handed out praise to Micky van de Ven, while also highlighting one element of his game that needs refining.

Tottenham Hotspur have improved defensively when compared to last season, where they finished with a negative goal difference and ended 17th in the Premier League.

The prolonged absence of Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven played a role in the poor defensive showing from Tottenham last term, given that both were sidelined for long stretches.

This season, the pair have been available for a decent amount of games, although Romero has already had minor injuries.

Thomas Frank highlights one flaw in Micky van de Ven’s game

Van de Ven has been the star of the show this season, with the Dutchman proving effective in both boxes.

He has scored six goals so far in all competitions, the most of any player at the club, with goals coming from both set plays and open play.

The defender’s pace is his greatest asset, but Frank believes he is sometimes over-reliant on it, and while speaking to TNT Sports, he explained why he sees Van de Ven as a complete defender but also highlighted the one issue he wants the centre back to address.

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Thomas Frank said, “I think when you are a quick player, sometimes you can rely a little bit too much on your pace.

“I think he works a lot on his position in the box, which I think is crucial, because as a defender, one thing is to be physical and quick and all that but also the best defenders, for me, they do what I call cool, composed defending, so they are not hectic, they are just waiting, waiting, waiting, boom, boom, block and now we intercept. I think that is key.

“He is obviously fantastic on the ball and can drive forward with a beautiful left foot. He can play short in behind and also, this year, he has added the set piece threat, which I think again, the complete defender needs to do that.”

Micky Van de Ven’s fitness is crucial for Spurs

While Van de Ven continues to improve, Thomas Frank will be hoping the Dutchman can stay fit for the entirety of this season.

The pacy centre-back ranks in the top three for players to have played the most minutes for Spurs this campaign, with only Guglielmo Vicario and Pedro Porro playing more minutes, which shows how crucial he is for Frank.

However, it will be a concern given his injury record, because since moving to north London, he has not had a season without being injured, and if Tottenham are to avoid a repeat, his game time will need to be reduced.

Thierry Henry has sung the praises of an outstanding Tottenham Hotspur defender amidst a lot of debate comparing him to his Arsenal counterparts.

With the North London derby fast approaching, the build-up is now in full swing, with fans and former players already stoking the fire ahead of the fixture.

Former Tottenham midfielder Sandro suggested a few years ago that Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven are the best centre-back pairing in the Premier League.

Needless to say, those comments have not gone down well with Arsenal fans, given that the Gunners boast of William Saliba and Gabriel in their squad.

Thierry Henry rates Tottenham defender Micky van de Ven highly

The good news for Spurs is that Arsenal will be without one half of their world-class centre-back pairing, with Gabriel ruled out of the North London derby due to injury.

Henry has now suggested that Micky van de Ven belongs in the same level as the likes of Virgil Van Dijk and the Arsenal centre-back duo, but insisted that the Dutchman’s primary role is to defend rather than produce his trademark burst forward.

When asked how Van de Ven compares with Arsenal’s two main centre-backs and about the Spurs star’s goal against Copenhagen, Henry told BetWay: “Well, it says that he can score a goal like that. Not to downplay it, and of course I also saw his assist against Man Utd last season, but I just think the most important thing is that the team defends well. It’s not just about two centre-backs.

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“When a team attacks well, it’s also because the guys at the back are proactive, beating the line of pressure and making it easier for the striker.

When a team defends well, it’s because the whole team is defending well, not just your two centre-backs. Trust me, if your team is not shielding on the counter and winning the second ball, you’re exposed. I don’t care who you are.

“But going back to individuals, yes, Van de Ven is outstanding, Van Dijk is outstanding, Gabriel and Saliba are outstanding. They’re strong, difficult to beat, and like everybody, they have their flaws, but that’s normal.”

Henry is confident Arsenal will be ready for Spurs challenge

The Arsenal legend admitted that while it was never easy playing immediately after an international break, he pointed out that both sides are dealing with the same issue.

Henry expects an intense game at the Emirates and believes Arteta’s men will be up for the challenge.

The 48-year-old added: “I never used to like to come back and have a tough game after international duty. Thankfully, Arsenal are playing a team who also have a lot of international players. Sometimes you play a team who stayed for the whole 10 days and they’re waiting for you. It’s a north London derby, so the intensity will be there. And you’re playing against a team who hasn’t lost away from home.

“Against Sunderland, Arsenal encountered something that they usually do to teams. They played the long ball, and it reminded me of my time in the Premier League, where you couldn’t put pressure on any team. Any free kick, throw-in, or goal kick was in your box, and suddenly you have to win those balls, and they didn’t when Ballard and Brobbey challenged them. So we will see what’s going to happen against Tottenham.

“I’m sure that the team is going to be ready. You don’t need anyone to tell you what to do in these games. You know what time it is. You need to wake up. If you don’t know that, that means you don’t understand who you’re playing for.”

Danny Murphy has explained why Tottenham fans can be a little hopeful heading into the North London derby on Sunday.

Most pundits, including ex-Spurs players, have not given the Lilywhites much chance of getting a result at Arsenal, and that is not surprising, given their recent record in North London derbies.

Additionally, one has to go back to 2010 for the last time a Spurs side secured a win at the Emirates Stadium.

Tottenham are also missing several key players, giving the league leaders the upper hand, but Murphy believes there is one factor working in Spurs’ favour.

Danny Murphy believes Tottenham will relish playing away from home

The one silver lining for Thomas Frank’s men heading into the red half of North London is the fact that Tottenham boast the best away record in the Premier League this season.

Murphy has opined that the Spurs players would prefer to play this fixture away from home rather than in front of their own supporters.

The pundit told talkSPORT: “It will be an interesting one, because for once in many, many years, you could argue that the Arsenal Tottenham game, which has always been so obviously Arsenal favourite, is now a little bit they’re still favourites, but with Tottenham’s away from four wins and a draw, it’s a better fixture for Tottenham being away than it is at home.

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“The pressure at home for Tottenham is getting to them. They’re struggling, the players to play under that expectation and that that demanding, well, not demanding crowd, but a crowd that wants them to see play creative stuff.

“Away from home, they can be more pragmatic,and I think it suits Tottenham. They won’t have more OF the ball than Arsenal. They can play on the counter and they can play set plays, long throws and stuff like that.

“It’s actually a tricky one, a tricky little fixture for Arsenal. I always think, as well playing big derby games or big games when you are coming back from international duty is harder, because everyone’s coming in with a few days to go and there’s not much prep time. There are some tired legs. ‘do you play him, do you play him?, do you mix it up? do you rest?’ because it’s such a big game, a lot of the time the managers think I’ve got to play their best team.”

Murphy still expects Arsenal to beat Spurs

The Gunners also have some injury concerns of their own ahead of the game, and it has now been confirmed that Gabriel will not be fit for the North London derby.

However, Murphy thinks that introducing fresh legs may not be bad for Arsenal, and he backed Mikel Arteta’s men to emerge with three points.

The former Spurs midfielder added: “Actually, there might be an argument with Arsenal’s strength and depth to make a few changes, because of the amount of minutes some of the players have played.

“I still think Arsenal beat them regardless of whether Gabriel is fit or not. Watching Arsenal play, they are so strong.”

Former Tottenham Hotspur player Mauricio Taricco is the centre of a huge storm and has been disciplined for a racist gesture while coaching in South Korea.

Taricco arrived in English football in 1994, joining Ipswich Town, before being snapped up by Tottenham in 1998.

The Argentine defender spent six seasons at White Hart Lane, making 130 appearances and scoring twice.

The left-back then had a brief spell at West Ham United before ending his career at Brighton, and he has subsequently gone into coaching, working as an assistant in clubs such as Sunderland, AEK Athens and Real Betis.

Former Tottenham defender Mauricio Taricco is in hot water over a racist gesture

The 52-year-old now works as an assistant manager at South Korean side Jeonbuk Motors, a position he has held since last year.

The Independent have revealed that the former Tottenham man is now in hot water after making a racist gesture in a match against Daejeon Hana Citizen on November 8.

Taricco was having an argument with the referee over a penalty appeal and reportedly shouted “racista” (the Spanish word for racist) at the referee before making a slanted-eye gesture.

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The Argentine claimed his gesture was to indicate that the referee had not directly observed a handball, but the K-League rejected this, claiming that his actions were “identical to the widely known slant-eye”, which is a derogatory gesture against Asians

Taricco hit with a fine and a ban

According to the Independent, the K-League’s disciplinary committee said about the incident: “The evaluation of a specific act should be based on the universal meaning of the act as expressed, rather than the perpetrator’s stated intentions.”

Taricco is now set for a spell away from the touchline after being hit with a five-match ban.

The 52-year-old has also been fined 20 million won for his actions, which amounts to around £12,000.

Tottenham fans will not be encouraged by what is being said about one of their midfielders, who had a horror show in an international friendly on Tuesday night.

It has been a positive international break for the Spurs contingent, with 17 Tottenham players booking their spot in next summer’s World Cup.

However, one senior Spurs man had an outing to forget on Tuesday night in the United States while on international duty.

Rodrigo Bentancur was sent off in Uruguay’s 5-1 drubbing at the hands of the USA for a dangerous challenge, and the 28-year-old has not been spared by his national press.

Tottenham midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur blasted by the Uruguayan press

A report by El Pais has given the former Juventus man a rating of just two out of 10 for his performance in Florida.

Bentancur, who wore the captain’s armband, is said to have struggled from the start and failed to bring any control in the middle of the park for Uruguay.

The Tottenham star’s part in the second US goal has been highlighted, with the midfielder losing his marker in the move, which opened up space for the finish.

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The outlet says that the performance exposed the defensive issues in Bentancur’s game, and the gaps he left in midfield were exploited with ease by Mauricio Pochettino’s side.

Bentancur’s form has become a concern for Spurs

Thomas Frank has continued to show faith in the Bentancur-Joao Palhinha midfield pairing despite the criticism about the duo’s lack of creativity.

With Pape Sarr a doubt to be fit for the Arsenal clash, one would expect the same double pivot to start the North London derby.

Bentancur’s form is undoubtedly becoming a big concern, with the Uruguayan’s performances tailing off after a decent start to the season.

The 28-year-old cannot afford to be lax in his marking or positioning against the Gunners as Mikel Arteta’s side will punish Spurs.

Former Tottenham Hotspur scout Bryan King is convinced that one Spurs winger is on his way out of the club in the January transfer window.

As the January window draws closer, there has been a lot of speculation on who Tottenham will bring through the door.

However, more than one player also appears likely to head through the exit door, with Yves Bissouma’s time at Spurs potentially about to run out.

Another Tottenham man who does not appear to have a future under Thomas Frank is Manor Solomon, who is expected to be recalled by Spurs in January, after struggling for minutes on loan at Villarreal this season.

Tottenham winger Manor Solomon backed to join Leeds United

Solomon was heavily linked with a permanent switch to Leeds in the summer on the back of his successful loan spell at Elland Road last season.

However, Daniel Farke’s men did not make a move, with the player heading to Villarreal in the final hours of the window after Crystal Palace pulled out of a loan deal for Solomon at the last moment.

Former Tottenham scout Bryan King expects the Israel international to be sold by Spurs in January, and he suggested that a return to Leeds is very much on the cards for the 26-year-old.

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King told MOT Leeds News: “If he isn’t going to stay at Villarreal, then I could certainly see him being sold in January. He definitely won’t get a game for Tottenham; there are three or four people in front of him in his position.

“He did well at Leeds; he was a key part of their team that got promoted. I would have thought he’d be a very good option for Leeds. They haven’t exactly set the Premier League alight, and it looks as though they need more options.”

Leeds could face competition from Premier League club

Farke’s men are not the only Premier League side thought to be eyeing a move for the Tottenham winger.

It has been reported over recent weeks that West Ham United are also plotting a January move for Solomon.

The Hammers reportedly want to rebuild their attack for Nuno Espirito Santo in January, and they have identified the Spurs winger as someone who can add firepower to their forward line.

Following the two-week international break, Tottenham Hotspur visit the Emirates to face North London rivals Arsenal on Sunday, hoping to avoid a fourth successive derby defeat.

It does feel a little odd seeing a North London Derby placed so deep into the season, all the way in November, but if anything, the wait has only added an extra layer of anticipation.

Tottenham Hotspur went into the break off a dramatic 2–2 draw with Manchester United, where Matthijs de Ligt’s last-second header couldn’t stop Spurs from extending their 2-season unbeaten run against the Manchester club.

However, it still added to a poor home record of just 5 points from 6 league games as their position in 5th has been carried almost entirely by their form on the road, with Spurs boasting the best away record in the Premier League.

Joined by only a handful, including names like Bayern Munich and AC Milan, who share a similar unbeaten away record domestically, Tottenham’s run is about to face its toughest test yet.

Arsenal look as complete as they ever have under Mikel Arteta, and they’re arguably Europe’s best team right now. After 3 consecutive 2nd-place finishes, this finally feels like the season in which they’re primed to go all the way.

Their 8-match winning streak, with 8 clean sheets, ended just before the break as Sunderland held them to a 2–2 draw, but they still lead the Premier League table by 4 points.

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What time does Arsenal vs Tottenham Hotspur kick off?

Arsenal vs Tottenham Hotspur: Head-to-head record

Tottenham’s perfect away record faces a serious threat simply because they haven’t won a Premier League match at the Emirates in 15 years.

If you stretch it across all competitions, you can just about sneak in a win: the 2-0 Carabao Cup victory in 2018, with that defeat being 1 of the only 2 Arsenal have suffered to Spurs in their last 32 meetings in all competitions.

Even ignoring the away-day curse, the numbers still do not get better for Spurs as they have lost 5 of the last 6 North London Derbies in the Premier League (1D).

Last season, Arsenal managed to complete the double: a 1-0 win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium followed by a 2-1 victory in the reverse fixture against an injury-hit Spurs side.

The sides did meet once already this year in a pre-season friendly in what was the first overseas North London Derby which Thomas Frank’s men were able to win 1-0, courtesy of a long-range rocket from Pape Sarr.

Tottenham team news

The two-week break was supposed to help Spurs welcome a few players back, but that hasn’t quite materialised.

After Randal Kolo Muani’s jaw injury against Manchester United, Thomas Frank would have had hoped to have Dominic Solanke back available, but there’s still no sign of him returning to full training. Dejan Kulusevski was spotted doing light work on the grass last week, but is still at least a month away from a return.

Mohammed Kudus missed the last two matches with what was initially described as a knock. He later withdrew from Ghana duty, making him a doubt. Lucas Bergvall also returned from Sweden’s World Cup qualifiers after failing a fitness test following a concussion earlier this month, so he too remains doubtful.

Pape Matar Sarr was taken off four minutes into the second half in Senegal’s 2–0 loss to Brazil. Their head coach insisted it was only precautionary, but his availability is still uncertain.

On the positive side, Radu Dragusin finally returned to football after almost a year out, featuring in two behind-closed-doors friendlies during the break.

As for confirmed absentees: Archie Gray, Ben Davies, Yves Bissouma and Kota Takai all remain out.

Arsenal team news

Just when it looked impossible to find flaws in this Arsenal side, injuries were the only thing that managed to make them look worse as they too head into this derby without some key players.

In the same friendly that saw Pape Sarr withdrawn, Arsenal were hit with a heavier blow as Gabriel picked up a thigh injury. With 3 man-of-the-match displays against Spurs in the past, his absence for the next month is a significant loss.

He joins Martin Odegaard, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus on the sidelines although the latter has returned to training, but remains some way from being match-ready.

Noni Madueke, Gabriel Martinelli and Viktor Gyokeres are all major doubts, and we’ll get more clarity from Mikel Arteta tomorrow.

Predicted Tottenham line-up

Tottenham: Vicario, Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie, Bentancur, Simons, Palhinha, Kudus, Richarlison, Odobert.

There’s very little debate about the back four and even less about the midfield, where Frank only has those 3 fully fit options.

If Kudus isn’t fully ready, Brennan Johnson is the most likely to slot in on the right. Mathys Tel could also start up front in place of Richarlison, though that feels unlikely, and he’s expected to come off the bench.

Our North London Derby prediction

Keep an eye on Eberechi Eze as he will be getting plenty of boos from the away end after his last-minute switch from Tottenham in the summer transfer window, and you can bet he’ll be desperate to score and rub it in with a cheeky celebration.

But his replacement, Xavi Simons, might be an even bigger story on the day. He’s slowly growing into his role and looked sharp during international duty, even scoring in his latest outing. He hasn’t found the net for Spurs yet, and he’ll be itching to put that right in a game of this magnitude.

Spurs haven’t tasted a win in a London derby for a while now, and Thomas Frank will be aware of what it would mean to the supporters.

The form guide, head-to-head stats, and the Emirates record all favour Arsenal, but derbies have a habit of ignoring logic, and this season Tottenham have saved their best football for away days.

Predicted score: Arsenal 1-2 Tottenham

Up the Spurs!