Arsenal will face Tottenham Hotspur in the highly anticipated Premier League North London derby with the hope of continuing their winning streak over Spurs at the Emirates Stadium at 2 p.m. on Sunday, September 24.
After five league games this season, the two north London clubs have 13 points, but Mikel Arteta’s side are coming into the intriguing clash from a Champions League triumph over PSV Eindhoven.
Arteta’s team, who had previously battled to get past a resolute Everton defense took full advantage of PSV’s open style of football to score four goals without conceding.
The Gunners’ 2023–2024 record had only one blemish which is a home draw with Fulham. They are currently fourth in the Premier League standings with 13 points out of a possible 15, behind Liverpool and their Sunday’s opponents Spurs on goal differential.
Arsenal are the only side in the top seven positions that have not yet scored double-digit goals because Arteta has adopted a slightly more conservative approach to his team’s attacking play this season. However, that won’t stop the Gunner from predictively scoring at least a goal against Spurs on Sunday.
On the other hand, Spurs have not lost in the Premier League since Ange Postecoglou took over, and this season, they have only been outperformed by a flawless Manchester City who have won all their league games so far.
Interestingly, Spurs have maintained their streak of scoring twice or more in each of their Premier League games under Postecoglou, hence, Arsenal should be prepared to concede at least a goal on Sunday.
The good news for Arsenal is that Tottenham Hotspur have not recorded a win at the Emirates Stadium since 13 years ago, but the Gunners have beaten them four times in their last five meetings.
Team News
Coach Mikel Arteta is going into the north London derby without Thomas Partey (groin), Mohamed Elneny (knee), and Jurrien Timber (knee).
In his last press conference, the Spanish tactician didn’t completely rule out Gabriel Martinelli’s comeback for Tottenham’s visit, although he did not take part in the triumph over PSV.
As for Tottenham Hotspur, they will travel to the Emirates Stadium without Ivan Perisic who is set to miss the rest of the season due to a surgical procedure he will undergo in the coming days.
Aside from him, coach Postecoglou will be at the Emirates without Bryan Gil, Rodrigo Bentancur, Ryan Sessegnon, and Alfie Whiteman who are still recovering from different degrees of injuries. Giovani Lo Celso (thigh injury) is also a big doubt for the game.
Probable Lineup for Arsenal: Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Odegaard, Rice, Vieira; Saka, Jesus, Trossard
Probable Lineup for Tottenham Hotspur: Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Sarr, Bissouma; Kulusevski, Maddison, Son; Richarlison
Prediction:
Arsenal have a 57 percent chance of beating Tottenham Hotspur at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday while Spurs have just a 21 percent chance. But that might not matter much as the game is most likely to end in a 2-2 draw.
