Arsenal have been handed an injury boost ahead of their upcoming Premier League showdown against north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur.
What’s the news?
According to a recent report from Football.London, Gunners full-back Kieran Tierney is set to be available for Saturday’s derby clash. The report adds that the defender was brought home early as a precautionary measure after suffering a concussion in Scotland’s match against the Republic of Ireland last weekend but should recover in time for the derby.
With fellow Arsenal left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko a fitness doubt for this weekend’s game after missing the 3-0 win over Brentford and not being involved with Ukraine during the international break as a result of a calf issue, having Tierney available will be a big relief to Mikel Arteta.
Great news for Arsenal
Despite only starting three of Arsenal’s seven league games so far this term, the Scotsman has still made the third-most interceptions (10) and the fourth-most clearances (10) of anyone at the Emirates Stadium.
The left-back’s previous outing against Brentford saw him make five clearances, one interception and one tackle and win two of his three duels. This highlights the clear defensive talent that Tierney has and shows why he could be a vital figure for his team in this weekend’s north London derby.
Bearing in mind how Antonio Conte’s side have had more shots on target (45) in the league so far this season than any other team in the division, having a capable defensive player such as Tierney in the team could be the difference between seeing Arsenal pick up a positive result or be turned over by their arch-rivals.
If the 25-year-old is fit enough to start on Saturday and Zinchenko isn’t, Arteta should have no doubts over putting Tierney in the starting XI to see if he can help the Gunners pick up another victory and keep their place at the top of the league table, whilst also landing a direct blow on a positional and geographical rival.
