The 193rd edition of the North London derby will take place on Sunday, when Tottenham Hotspur hosts rivals and league leaders Arsenal....CONTINUE READING THE FULL ARTICLE>>>
Earlier in the season, the Gunners defeated Antonio Conte’s sluggish team with a score of 3-1, but the Lilywhites typically prove to be a different animal when the North London derby is played on their home field.
Conte watched his Tottenham team struggle more to defeat League One side Portsmouth in the FA Cup than they did to beat Crystal Palace in the Premier League, handing the managerial duties to Cristian Stellini while he grieved the loss of former Juventus teammate and legendary Italian Gianluca Vialli.
Tottenham needed a sweetly struck Harry Kane goal to get them past a tenacious and determined Portsmouth team, setting up a fourth-round trip to Preston North End, three days after scoring four unanswered goals against the Eagles away from home.
Arsenal is learning the hard way about zealous handball penalty appeals after being hit with not one, but two improper conduct charges stemming from their most recent two games, but their refusal to concede a penalty against Oxford United had little bearing on the outcome of that FA Cup third-round match.
In Gabriel Jesus’ absence, Eddie Nketiah scored twice at the Kassam Stadium to give Arsenal a 1-0 lead after Mohamed Elneny switched his long-range shots for a close-range header to break the tie. However, the Gunners must now defeat Manchester City in order to advance to the next round.
Arsenal is currently unbeaten in their last 11 Premier League games. They have also won five of their last six away games in the top division, including each of their last three, and their six away goals conceded rank third best in the league behind Newcastle and Man City.
Dejan Kulusevski, a Swedish attacker on loan to Juventus, has resumed training following a muscular injury, which is the best news Tottenham fans could receive before a North London derby. If he is fit enough, the Juventus loanee will start over Bryan Gil, an impressive player in his own right.
Although Rodrigo Bentancur’s participation is less certain and Richarlison and Lucas Moura’s involvement in the derby is anticipated to be premature, Yves Bissouma is likely to recover from the slight ankle injury that prevented him from playing against Portsmouth in the FA Cup.
Bentancur’s absence should be covered by Bissouma and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, while Kane, the all-time leading scorer in the North London derby, could score against Arsenal for the 15th time after converting a penalty in the Emirates defeat this season.
After Emile Smith Rowe returned from groin surgery against Oxford in the FA Cup, there hasn’t been much activity in the Arsenal treatment room lately, with only Jesus (knee) and Reiss Nelson (thigh) on the sidelines.
Smith Rowe’s cameo appearance was his first in an Arsenal uniform since September. The 22-year-old scored when Tottenham visited the Emirates in September 2021, but he is likely to only contribute from the bench going forward as Gabriel Martinelli is expected to play in a lineup that is familiar to most Arsenal fans.
Aaron Ramsdale, Thomas Partey, and Martin Odegaard were all benched for the game against Oxford after Bukayo Saka hobbled off in front of worried Arsenal fans.
However, Arteta insisted that the 21-year-old, who earlier this season created five chances against Spurs, was “fine.”
Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:
Lloris; Romero, Dier, Lenglet; Doherty, Bissouma, Hojbjerg, Perisic; Kulusevski, Kane, Son
Arsenal possible starting lineup:
Ramsdale; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Xhaka, Partey; Saka, Odegaard, Martinelli; Nketiah
