Arsenal resume their Premier League campaign after the international break with the visit of old foes Tottenham Hotspur at the Emirates Stadium at Saturday lunchtime.
The Gunners went into the international break top of the table, winning six of their first seven games. They swept aside Brentford 3-0 in west London in their last league fixture and will head into the North London derby in high spirits.
However, form generally goes out of the window in derbies and Mikel Arteta will be wary of Tottenham, who are just a point behind Arsenal in third place.
Arsenal Team News
Thomas Partey, who had only returned from a month out with a thigh injury against Brentford, became a late withdrawal from Ghana’s starting XI against Brazil in a friendly game last week due to a precaution over a suspected discomfort around the knee and is a slight doubt.
Kieran Tierney was forced out of the Scotland squad to face Ukraine on Tuesday with a head knock and Arteta was cryptic when answering questions regarding his availability, while Emile Smith Rowe and Mohamed Elneny have already been ruled out.
In what will be a big boost, Oleksandr Zinchenko is expected to be fit enough to face Tottenham but Arteta stopped short of confirming his participation. Ben White was also pictured in training with a small group of players on Tuesday whereas Martin Odegaard played the full 90 minutes in Norway’s 2-0 defeat to Serbia in the Nations League. Cedric Soares is also a big doubt for the game.
Predicted Arsenal Lineup vs Tottenham (4-2-3-1)
Goalkeeper
Aaron Ramsdale is the undisputed No.1 for Arsenal and will be stationed between the sticks against Antonio Conte’s Spurs.
Defence
Who lines up in front of Ramsdale is not expected to be a headache for Mikel Arteta as he is likely to stick with his tried and tested back four.
A back four of Ben White, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes and Kieran Tierney did start in the Gunners’ dominant 3-0 win over Brentford before the international break. But with Oleksandr Zinchenko, who has been a revelation as the inverted left-back since arriving at the club this summer, expected to be fit, Tierney should drop out of the Arsenal lineup.
Midfield
Thomas Partey is a big doubt after pulling out of Ghana’s match against Brazil with a knee problem but in the event that he makes the Arsenal lineup, he should be partnered by Granit Xhaka, who has been in excellent form for Arsenal since the start of the season.
Martin Odegaard will reprise his no.10 role in midfield in the Arsenal lineup, being the creative spark for his side and producing chances for his teammates in the final third.
Attack
On the right flank will be Bukayo Saka, who made a telling impact off the bench for England in the thrilling 3-3 draw with Germany in the Nations League. Gabriel Martinelli should keep his place on the left in the Arsenal lineup, bringing energy and flair in abundance to the Gunners attack.
Having been surprisingly left out of the Brazil squad for the recent friendlies, Gabriel Jesus will be fresh and raring to make a mark against Tottenham.
