It is the Premier League season’s second instalment of the North London derby on Wednesday evening as Arsenal host bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur at the Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners quickly need to get their act together, having lost 2-0 at home to Newcastle United in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final last week, before 10-man Manchester United dumped them out of the FA Cup on penalties at the weekend. Mikel Arteta’s men drew 1-1 with Brighton in their last Premier League outing, failing to take advantage of Liverpool’s dropped points as a result.
There cannot be any better game than the North London derby for Arteta’s side to bounce back; however, they welcome a Tottenham side with two wins on the spin across all competitions.
Arsenal Team News
Arsenal have been dealt a significant blow with Gabriel Jesus facing a long spell out with a suspected ACL injury. The Brazilian striker suffered a knee injury in Sunday’s FA Cup defeat to Manchester United when attempting to tackle Bruno Fernandes.
Jorginho and Jurrien Timber came off during the FA Cup third round, but Arteta has confirmed that both are expected to be fit for Wednesday’s game against Tottenham. Riccardo Calafiori, however, could miss out again after sitting out the FA Cup third-round clash with Man United.
Predicted Arsenal lineup vs Tottenham (4-3-3)
Goalkeeper
David Raya couldn’t save one penalty in the shootout against Man United in the FA Cup on Sunday. He will be raring to produce a strong display between the sticks and keep a clean sheet against Tottenham.
Defence
In front of Raya, Gabriel Magalhaes will resume his central defensive partnership with William Saliba. They will have to be at their best to stop Dominic Solanke from scoring.
Jurrien Timber is expected to be fit after going off against Man United in the FA Cup. He retains his position at right-back, with youngster Myles Lewis-Skelly starting at left-back once again ahead of Oleksandr Zinchenko and Kieran Tierney.
Midfield
Declan Rice is poised to return back to the starting XI after coming off the bench in the FA Cup tie. Thomas Partey, too, should start in the engine room, providing energy, tenacity and physicality to the Arsenal side. Martin Odegaard, who missed a penalty in normal time against Man United in the FA Cup, will be raring to produce a captain’s display in the North London derby.
The aforementioned troika will be trying to dictate terms in midfield against Spurs and create chances in the final third for the forwards. Jorginho and Mikel Merino both started in the FA Cup fixture but will drop to the bench.
Attack
With Gabriel Jesus ruled out for a long time, Arteta is expected to again go with Kai Havertz as the team’s centre-forward. Raheem Sterling could start his first game since mid-December having done well after coming off the bench in the FA Cup fixture. Gabriel Martinelli, meanwhile, should keep his position on the left flank intact.
