The international break has concluded, and Tottenham Hotspur return to club football, with North London Derby on the agenda as Ange Postecoglou & Co. prepares to host Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal this weekend.
Going into the game, you expect Arsenal to be the favorites; however, the Gunners have been dealt tough cards coming into the game. A very unfortunate red card to Declan Rice means the English international will serve a suspension for the game, complemented by the fact that Martin Odegaard will be unavailable for the fixture owing to his injury that he picked up while on duty at Norway.
Spurs face Arsenal sans Rice and Odegaard
Ange Postecoglou did secure a fifth-place finish in the Premier League last season, and owing to investments that Daniel Levy has made, the club would be expecting to better that in the new season. However, the Lilywhites have enjoyed a tricky start to the new campaign with only four points picked in the opening three games of the league.
The N17-based side suffered a 2-1 defeat to Newcastle United at St James Park before the international break, and they will now look to get back to winning ways when they lineup against noisy neighbours Arsenal this Sunday.
Merson predicts tough time for Arsenal
Mikel Arteta’s Gunners are one of the favourites for the Premiership title this season, which makes this a very tricky tie for Ange Postecoglou’s men. However, former Arsenal star Paul Merson suggests that the Gunners would find it difficult to get going against Spurs this weekend owing to midfield absentees in Odegaard and Rice.
The former Arsenal striker in his latest column via Sky Sports:
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“Rice takes the ball up the pitch and Odegaard makes things happen in the final third. I don’t think there’s anybody that can replace Odegaard. He’s a very, very special player and would be the first name on the teamsheet. Arsenal need him in the big moments to pick the right pass.
“I’m trying to pick a midfield three and I can’t. They might be good on the ball, but they’re not going to get it back when Tottenham have it. That’s the worry for me. Jorginho likes to sit there and I don’t think Thomas Partey can go and play as a No 8.”
We have barely seen Arsenal side without Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard for over a year now, let alone missing both of them. This makes it a difficult fixture for Arsenal, as they wouldn’t have the defensive capacity of Rice and the creative outlet of Odegaard on the pitch this weekend.
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That being said, Tottenham shouldn’t get carried away, as the depth at N5 means that Arteta can still pick a side that has top-notch talent and capacity to come out on top this derby.
