The international break has concluded and it’s time for players to return to club duty. Arsenal have a tough trip on their return to club football action as they have to take a short trip to face their North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur.
The traditional North London derby stands as one of the most fiercely contested rivalries in football. Evidently, there are no cordial exchanges between the two clubs at any time, and it becomes a battle for early-season bragging rights.
Arsenal have had a decent start to the new season with two wins and one draw. Their last game before the international break was a 1-1 draw against Brighton & Hove Albion. It was a game that the Gunners would like to forget due to Declan Rice’s sending-off.
Tottenham on the other hand have not had the greatest start to the season. They have one draw, one win and one loss from three Premier League games so far. Ange Postecoglou will be under immense pressure to deliver against Arsenal.
Thus, all things considered, the game on Sunday promises to be an exciting battle between two teams who are both keen to get back to winning ways. However, as always, only one team can emerge victorious and one can only hope that it is Arsenal.
NORTH LONDON DERBY KICK-OFF – DATE & TIME:
Date: September 15, 2024
Time: 14:00 BST
Location: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London.
TOTTENHAM vs ARSENAL – TEAM NEWS:
Arsenal have a huge headache to handle ahead of the North London derby. Martin Odegaard suffered a nasty injury on international duty for Norway and is unlikely to get fit in time for the game on Sunday.
Riccardo Calafiori was another player who got injured while playing for Italy. To compound to these injury woes, Declan Rice’s sending-off against Brighton means he will be unavailable to face Tottenham this weekend.
Tottenham on the other hand are waiting on the fitness update of Dominic Solanke. Richarlison is almost certain to miss out. Micky van de Ven on the other hand is expected to return to the starting XI after recovering from his issue.
Between the two teams, Arsenal’s squad is more depleted, especially in midfield when you also include the injury to new signing Mikel Merino. Jurrien Timber is a doubt for the game too after being taken off against Brighton with an issue.
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR vs ARSENAL – PRE-GAME LINE UP ANALYSIS
Arsenal are expected to start in Mikel Arteta’s 4-3-3. David Raya is nailed in to start within the posts after an impressive international break with Spain. Ben White, William Saliba and Gabriel are locked in for three out of the four spots in defence. On the left, Oleksandr Zinchenko is likely to start in the potential absences of Timber and Calafiori.
Thomas Partey is likely to start as the #6, after impressing in the first three games of the season. Jorginho is expected to start in the Declan Rice role in midfield although the Italian is very different to the Englishman in terms of profile. In the absence of captain Martin Odegaard, Kai Havertz is likely to start as the advanced midfielder.
Bukayo Saka is expected to start on the right side of the attack with Gabriel Martinelli starting on the left. Through the middle, Kai Havertz has started the three games so far but if he drops into midfield, the most likely fit is Gabriel Jesus. Alternatively, Mikel Arteta could choose to deploy Raheem Sterling or Leandro Trossard through the middle.
Tottenham under Ange Postecoglou usually set up in a 4-2-3-1. Guglielmo Vicario is certain to start in between the posts and will likely be guarded by a back four of Pedro Porro, Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven and Destiny Udogie.
Yves Bissouma and Rodrigo Bentancur are expected to play the holding role in midfield. The former is expected to fulfil a deeper role while the latter is expected to play a roaming role. The number 10 role is almost certain to be filled by James Maddison, who tends to orchestrate Tottenham’s attacks.
Brennan Johnson is expected to start on the left with Dejan Kulusevski on the right side of the attack. Dominic Solanke might have to settle on a bench with Son Heung-min leading the line against Arsenal.
SPURS vs ARSENAL PREDICTED LINEUPS:
Tottenham Predicted lineup vs Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Bissouma, Bentancur; Kulusevski, Maddison, Johnson; Son
Arsenal Predicted lineup vs Tottenham (4-3-3): Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Partey, Jorginho, Havertz; Saka, Sterling, Martinelli
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR vs ARSENAL PREDICTION:
Arsenal are visiting the N17 with a depleted squad and a not-so-first-choice midfield. They have their task cut out to try and get past Ange Postecoglou’s team for early North London bragging rights.
Tottenham on the other hand come into this game with a point to prove after a rather slow start to the season. They have their first-team squad available to them and would be confident of getting one over their city rivals.
PREDICTION: Tottenham 1-2 Arsenal
