The North London Derby is upon us and this one guarantees a SPECTACLE. Ange Postecoglou and Mikel Arteta will face each other for the first time ever as they look to keep their unbeaten streaks going on for as long as possible. Both teams sit at 13 points each with an identical record (4 wins, 1 draw).
It’s going to be interesting to see one team who are at the beginning of their project and another who is almost completely done with their rebuild. Both projects look really exciting and their fans are rightfully enjoying their respective journeys so far. Who will prevail, though?
Arsenal’s form (all competitions): W W W D W
Spurs’ form (all competitions): W W L W W
When & Where?
DATE: 23. Sep, 2023.
TIME: 13:00 UTC
VENUE: Emirates Stadium, London.
Tactical Setup
Arsenal (4-3-3)
Arsenal are set to go along with Raya as their number one once again, with Ramsdale seemingly becoming the second choice for the time being. The game against PSV was routinely done and not much energy was wasted on that one, hence why I expect Arteta to go with his strongest lineup possible.
There are some rumours over Trossard’s availability for tomorrow and Reiss Nelson could be given the shot at left wing. Either that or Arteta will look to put Jesus at left wing with Havertz up top.
Havertz looked better against PSV and he could find himself in the eleven once again although I would personally give Vieira the chance to impress again, he deserves it after recent showings.
Rice will take command of Arsenal’s midfield once again and the battle of him and Bissouma should be an interesting one as both midfielders are hot in form and absolutely vital for their teams.
Spurs (4-3-3)
With Ange’s arrival, Spurs got a second life and they haven’t noticed Kane missing out as much as everyone thought they would.
They’re playing with energy, tenacity and newfound belief and enjoying every minute of it. Maddison has acclimatised really well and he looks like the key cog for Ange’s side while Udogie took control of their LHS, both offensively and defensively.
Richarlison has struggled so far but a goal in the last game should give him some much-needed confidence to get back to his old levels. The ever-dangerous Son will look to cause havoc against a side he knows how to score against with his record of 5 goals and 5 assists in the 18 games played against the North London rivals speaking for itself.
Tottenham’s underlying numbers also back up their results and it shows they mean business.
Team News
Arsenal
Trossard’s injury is yet unconfirmed but there are rumours he might miss out tomorrow joining Martinelli (hamstring), Thomas Partey (groin), Mohamed Elneny (knee), and Jurrien Timber (knee).
Spurs
Ivan Perisic sustained a horrific season-ending ACL injury not so long ago and its certainly a blow for Ange as he often turned to him when chasing results as his versatility meant he could adapt to more than a few roles.
He joins Bryan Gil (groin), Rodrigo Bentancur (knee), Ryan Sessegnon (hamstring), Alfie Whiteman (ankle) and Giovani Lo Celso (thigh) on the sidelines.
Key Players
Declan Rice
A midfield metronome, Rice looks like he’s been playing at Arsenal for years. Just when you think you’ve seen all of him, he impresses again. He’s grown into a key player for Arteta already and he’ll look to nullify Tottenham’s dangerous midfield trio of Bissouma-Sarr-Maddison.
James Maddison
The same could be said for Maddison, who looks like he’s already a settled part of the eleven. He drives this team forward and not many actions go without him being involved. Can he shine at the Emirates?
Predicted XI
Arsenal predicted XI: Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Odegaard, Rice, Vieira; Saka, Jesus, Nelson.
Tottenham predicted XI: Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Sarr, Bissouma; Son, Maddison, Kulusevski; Richarlison.
