It’s the first north London derby of the league season, as Arsenal welcome Spurs to the Emirates for a hotly-anticipated fixture this Sunday.
Arsène Wenger’s men have been strong this season. Currently only losing out to the Premier League top spot by goal difference, they’ve produced some fantastic attacking displays and defensive solidarity, despite the injuries that have ravaged them already this season. Despite the north London side only winning one match in Europe so far, qualification for the round of sixteen is still achievable, so as a result Arsenal’s season so far has been promising.
Arsenal are looking to return to winning ways this weekend. Despite being in great form in the league – current level on points with league leaders Manchester City – they took a battering on Wednesday. Their trip to the Allianz resulted in a hammering 5-1 loss, with Bayern’s goals coming from Robert Lewandowski, Thomas Muller, David Alaba and Arjen Robben. Arsenal failed to take a strangle of the game and often found themselves standing off from the attack and sitting back. This tactic of trying to soak up pressure and then hit them on the break was largely ineffective due to the poor showing from the defence and the lack of pace shown from the likes of Joel Campbell and Olivier Giroud. Nevertheless, qualification for the knockout stage is still vaguely in sight, and it wouldn’t be surprising if the Gunners scraped the second place spot in the group – in classic Arsenal fashion.
Tottenham have had quite a strong season so far. Despite losing on the opening day at Old Trafford, they’ve managed to string together a 10-match unbeaten run in the league since then, finding themselves fifth in the league with 20 points – a point off the top four. However, with five of their last ten Premier League matches being draws, their ability to kill off a game could be questioned. However, with notable wins of great attacking display against the likes of Manchester City and Bournemouth, there is potential in the final third. This coupled with the revelation of Eric Dier as a defensive midfielder, Kane scoring five times in his last three games, and Erik Lamela finally starting to deliver on his large transfer fee means that completely ruling out Spurs would be a silly thing to do. Their fine form continued on Thursday night with a 2-1 win against Anderlecht, pushing them up to pole position in their Europa League group, so they’ll be full of confidence.
A player Arsenal will want to watch out for is Son Heung-min. The £22m signing from Bayer Leverkusen has already had a strong start to his career at White Hart Lane, scoring three goals in four starts in a Spurs shirt. Despite being ruled out for a month with an injury, he came on from the bench yesterday and should be available for this weekend’s occasion. If he starts, he’ll do particularly well against Mathieu Debuchy – who’ll start in place of the injured Hector Bellerin. His tricky nature and quick feet, unfortunately, will easily bypass an out of form Debuchy, and as a result Arsenal will be quite vulnerable on their right flank this Saturday.
A player Tottenham need to watch out for is Mesut Özil. The German has without a doubt been Arsenal’s best player this season and has a case to even be the league’s best performer so far as well. With two goals and nine assists in 16 appearances this season, he’s full of confidence at the moment. His ability is finally being recognised this season and as a result is tearing up defences with his pinpoint passing and vision. He pulls the strings of the Gunners’ attack in the final third. A key component to an Arsenal side if they not only want to win the upcoming match, but also the league.
It’s going to be a fascinating game this Saturday, with both teams at the top of their game at the moment. The last time these two faced was a little over a month ago, as Tottenham welcomed Arsenal in a 2-1 win to the Gunners in the League Cup. That occasion was about the fight of the players to push them over the finish line – this match will also require such an effort.
Match facts:
– Arsenal have won thirteen and lost two of their last eighteen league games, conceding only nine in the process.
– Tottenham have won just one of their last twenty-two away trips to Arsenal.
– Mesut Özil has the most goal assists in Europe’s top five leagues this season, with nine.
– Olivier Giroud has scored five times in his last seven league appearances. Four of his last six league games have been assisted by Özil.
– Petr Cech has the best saves to shots ratio of any goalkeeper in the league this season with 83% and needs just one more clean sheet to equal David James’ record of 169, of Premier League history.
Team news:
Arsenal are extremely short of depth at the moment, which significantly depletes their bench. David Ospina, Hector Bellerín, Mikel Arteta, Aaron Ramsey, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Theo Walcott, Jack Wilshere, Tomas Rosicky and Danny Welbeck are all out for Arsenal, so expect the likes of Jeff Reine-Adelaide, Matt Macey and Alex Iwobi all to be on the bench, with Joel Campbell and Mathieu Debuchy forming the Gunners’ right flank. This will significantly harm Arsenal’s chance to alter the style of the game through the substitutes, so they’ll have to do the job early on the weekend.
Tottenham have the return of Son Heung-min to look forward to, and whilst Nabil Bentaleb has returned to training following an ankle problem, it’s unlikely he’ll start. Danny Rose was out of Thursday’s match with a dead leg but he is in contention for this weekend’s game. Nacer Chadli and Alex Pritchard remain in the treatment room.
Predicted XIs:
Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Cech; Debuchy, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal; Cazorla, Coquelin; Campbell, Özil, Alexis; Giroud.
Tottenham (4-2-3-1): Lloris; Walker, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Rose; Dier, Alli; Lamela, Eriksen, Son; Kane.
Prediction:
A 2-1 win to the Arsenal, to secure the bragging rights in the city for at least another few months. Olivier Giroud will open the scoring, whilst Son will equalise before half-time. However, the French striker will bag a brace on the day to get the derby winner, securing three points which will mean a lot more than just having the advantage over the city rivals – a vital win to keep up the pace with Manchester City.
