This season’s first north London derby is on the horizon as Arsenal will lock horns with their bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur at the Emirates Stadium today.
Unai Emery’s side suffered their first defeat of the new Premier League campaign last weekend where they were beaten 3-1 by Liverpool at Anfield.
The Gunners will be hopeful of a more positive result this time around though with Spurs getting off to a rocky start to the season.
Arsenal Team News
Rob Holding completed 90 minutes for the Under-23 side against Everton on Friday. Although he will not be available this weekend, he is likely to return to first-team action after the international break.
Emile Smith Rowe is also in the final stages of recovery after his groin injury. He featured for the Under-23 side against Everton and also completed 90 minutes for the Under-21 side against Northampton Town on Tuesday.
Kieran Tierney, Hector Bellerin and Konstantinos Mavropanos are all also making progress towards their return to action following their injuries. The defensive trio is expected to participate in full training in September.
Emery has confirmed that Mesut Ozil will be available for selection for the first time this season and has ruled out the possibility of his exit.
Predicted Arsenal Lineup vs Tottenham Hotspur (4-3-3)
Defence
Bernd Leno will start between the sticks as usual in the Arsenal lineup.
Sokratis and David Luiz will start as the central defensive pairing if Emery decides to continue with a four man backline.
Sead Kolasinac will come into the Arsenal lineup after Monreal’s exit. He will have to apply himself in defence though as his gung-ho approach will not help him in his tussle with Tierney for a starting spot in the future. Today will be the perfect opportunity for the player to prove his worth to the first team.
On the opposite flank, Ainsley Maitland-Niles will be picked with Bellerin still out.
Midfield
Granit Xhaka and Matteo Guendouzi could start alongside Dani Ceballos in central midfield in the Arsenal lineup.
Ceballos was below par in the last game against Liverpool but could retain his place ahead of the more defensive-minded Torreira.
Ceballos will be tasked with the responsibility of unlocking Spurs’ backline. The Real Madrid loanee’s vision and dribbling qualities could prove to be beneficial for Arsenal against the Lilywhites whose midfield is not settled at the moment.
Attack
Alexandre Lacazette could get the green light to start as the striker, and his entry into the starting lineup will push Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to the left-wing. Meanwhile, Nicolas Pepe is expected to start from the right-wing.
Pepe showed what he is capable of against Jurgen Klopp’s men as he completed 7 take-ons. However, the Ivorian must be craving to open his account and there is no better occasion for an Arsenal player other than the NLD.
