Arsenal have made a near-perfect start to the new season of the Premier League and after three games, they are two points behind league leaders Manchester City.
The first three matches have been pretty straightforward but Arsenal are now going to face their first major test of the season because on Sunday, the Gunners head across London to take on arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur.
Before the international break, Arsenal dropped points against Brighton but Mikel Arteta will be hoping his boys can get that blooper out of their heads. This is a must-win game for Arsenal for more reasons than one because if they suffer a defeat, not only will Tottenham match them on points but at the same time, Manchester City will open up a five-point gap at the top of the table.
On paper, Arsenal are the slight favourites to win on Sunday but there’s a big possibility that the first North London Derby of the season will end in a stalemate.
Arsenal’s team news, injuries and suspension:
Declan Rice picked up a red card against Brighton and after Arsenal’s appeal was turned down, the midfielder will remain suspended for the derby.
Mikel Merino is recovering from a shoulder injury and the summer signing will be out until October. So, with Rice and Merino ruled out, Mikel Arteta will rely on the pairing Thomas Partey and Jorginho in central midfield.
Riccardo Calafiori suffered an injury during the break but according to the reports coming out of Italy, his injury is not serious and he should be fit and available for selection.
To make matters worse, Martin Odegaard also picked up a knock while on international duty and he will also be absent for Sunday’s encounter. The Norwegian has avoided a major ankle injury but he will not be ready in time to face Spurs.
Odegaard’s absence means Kai Havertz will have to slot into the attacking midfielder’s role. Thankfully, Gabriel Jesus should have recovered from his groin injury and as per reports, the Brazilian international might lead the line. The Gunners have also brought in Raheem Sterling who can play in the No. 10 role however we don’t think the manager will name him in his starting lineup.
Arsenal are yet to find out the full length of the damage but the manager has more or less made it clear that Martin Odegaard is not going to feature on Sunday.
“We need some more tests so let’s see what happens in the next day or so,” the manager told the press. “Let’s see what happens, what the extent of the injury is and how quickly we can get him back. He’s super positive about everything. We know Martin – he wants to be there every single day but we have to wait and see.
“Players with 48 hours to go are always available, but let’s see what happens.”
However, Gabriel Jesus has been massively under performing since last season so there is also a big chance that the Arsenal manager will use Leandro Trossard as his main centre-forward.
Arsenal predicted line up vs Tottenham Hotspur:
Predicted Starting lineup(4-2-3-1): David Raya; White, Timber, William Saliba, Gabriel; Thomas Partey, Jorginho; Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka, Martinelli; Trossard/Gabriel Jesus.
