Tottenham look to exploit weakened rivals Arsenal in the North London Derby
The ongoing international break is turning out to be a nightmare for Tottenham Hotspur’s north London rivals, Arsenal.
Martin Odegaard, the Gunners skipper, picked up a knock during the 1-1 draw with Brighton and Hove Albion at the Emirates Stadium before the break. He was considered doubtful for Norway’s game against Kazakhstan in the UEFA Nations League on Friday, but the creative midfielder started and completed the full 90 minutes.
Elsewhere, however, Riccardo Calafiori—one of Arsenal’s summer signings—suffered a bizarre injury in Italy’s 3-1 win over France in Paris in a UEFA Nations League fixture. After being tackled cleanly by Italy defender Alessandro Bastoni, France winger Ousmane Dembele took a tumble and his studs caught the back of Calafiori’s leg. It was a freak accident that required medical attention, and the Arsenal man was withdrawn after 71 minutes.
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Tottenham plan to exploit Arsenal’s struggles owing to injury problems. They have actually played some scintillating football across the opening three Premier League games but failed to get the deserved results. As a result, Ange Postecoglou’s side, who were beaten 2-1 by Newcastle United away before the international break, remain 10th in the table with just four points from a possible nine.
The North London derby is a game for the Lilywhites to show their mettle and bounce back. It will also provide our rivals a chance to get back to winning ways afte
r drawing 1-1 with Brighton last time out, which saw Declan Rice being sent off. Mikel Arteta’s side will visit Tottenham’s home ground without Rice and summer signing Mikel Merino, who has been ruledout for weeks after a shoulder fracture.
According to Italy head coach Luciano Spalletti (h/t Football Italia), Calafiori only suffered a knock at Parc des Princes on Friday and should be fit to play against Israel on Monday evening. In a separate report, Gabriel Jesus could return for Arsenal but full-backs Takehiro Tomiyasu and Kieran Tierney remain sidelined.
Spurs also have injury problems of their own; Dominic Solanke and Richarlison will miss the North London derby owing to their respective injury issues. Micky van de Ven was not 100 per cent fit and subsequently missed the game at Newcastle United, but Big Ange expects him to be fit for the derby clash.
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The Spurs faithful will look to create a hostile environment for the visitors and spur our players to win the North London derby bragging rights. All in all, the first NLD of the 2024/25 campaign promises to be a mouthwatering contest.
