Being one of the most highly anticipated fixtures on the football calendar, N17 will be electric as Tottenham host a game with so much history, which is looked forward to by many fans every season.
Arsenal return to Premier League action off the back of the international break, with ambition to start a winning streak after a painful draw against Brighton and Hove Albion last time out in the league.
Arsenal will also be looking to be as close as possible to Manchester City as they face them next weekend in one of their most important fixtures this campaign.
Tottenham will face the Gunners off the back of losing at St James’ Park, hoping to return to the Premier League with a win after the international break.
Tottenham have four points to their name in the league this season, with one victory. They will be looking to change that as they aim to fight for their spot in the UEFA Champions League this season.
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Previous Meetings
The last time these sides met at The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium saw Arsenal 3 – 0 up at half time. Despite 2 goals from Tottenham as they try to come back from behind, The Gunners got all three points and won the North London derby after both sides claimed one point each in the previous meeting that season.
In the reverse fixture in September 2023, the Emirates Stadium hosted the North London derby that resulted in a draw between the two sides, with Arsenal's goals scored by Bukayo Saka and an own goal by Cristian Romero. Tottenham’s goals both being scored by club captain, Heung Min Son.
The history of this fixture goes back to 1914 when the teams faced each other in a War Relief Fund friendly on the 22nd August at White Hart Lane and ever since has become one of the most anticipated derbies in football history.
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Team selection
Arsenal will be without £110 million man Declan Rice after his red card in Arsenal’s recent Premier League fixture against Brighton before the international break.
Rice received a second yellow after kicking the ball out of play and will now have to serve a one match ban.
Without their record signing, Arsenal is running low in the central midfield position, but could be saved by Jurrien Timber, after a full pre-season and slotting back into the Arsenal team following his knee injury. His versatility could be key for the Gunners as they are looking to replace a vital man in midfield.
Following an injury on international duty, Arsenal’s captain Martin Odegaard will miss out on the North London clash. When playing against Austria in the UEFA Nations League, Christoph Baumgartner caught Odegaard on the back of the ankle.
Odegaard then left the pitch in the 67th minute before being seen on crutches getting on to a plane to be further assessed by Arsenal doctors. The Norway doctor claimed injuries like he suffered will take 3 weeks to recover suggesting he will be a major doubt for the North London derby.
Without their captain in the side, they have multiple captain options including ‘Starboy’ Bukayo Saka who has taken up the role previously, alongside him in the ‘captaincy group’ is Oleksander Zinchenko, Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus and Jorginho.
In terms of filling his role in midfield, Arsenal may give chances to their young stars including 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri, who made his debut against Brentford in 2022, and Arteta is not afraid to give him his first start against Tottenham Hotspur.
Another option for the Gunners is Havertz playing a midfield role after playing in that role for a large part of last season, although his best form for Arsenal has seemingly been when he has played as a centre forward. Arteta will most likely be tempted to drop Havertz back into that midfield role.
Predictions and final thoughts -
Going into the match there will be lots of speculation about Arsenal’s form due to their injuries and suspensions. With Dominic Solanke and Micky van de Ven being available for Spurs they will have a strengthened side to face their North London rivals.
If there is any time for Tottenham to feel confident heading into a North London derby it would be this weekend, due to Arsenal’s weakened midfield area.
