Good time for a north London derby, isn’t it? Arsenal are struggling to win the game and their lead at the top of the table has been reduced to two points. Tottenham Hotspur have been out of action for 12 days under the leadership of newcomer Igor Tudor. The Gunners no longer have room for error – dropping points would give City the chance to leapfrog them to the top of the table. Going into today’s game, Spurs are four points above the final relegation zone.
There was no shortage of statistics, facts, figures and tactical discussion to decipher, but for Arsenal this game was more about mental strength and belief. I don’t think the outside discussion will have much of an impact inside the locker room at all – the players don’t care what people think of them. However, they will be feeling the effects of this dip in form and some disappointing results. Their task is to get out of this situation and start over the way they (should) know they can and how to prove they can.
advertise
Arsenal are significantly better than Tottenham. They need to believe that and play like this. Don’t let the emotions of the derby get to the playing field. Put the recent string of results behind you and start winning new ones now. Leave your mark on the game and the season by refusing to follow the same path of two or three seasons ago. Resist and write your own new story. It’s time to remind everyone how good this team is.
They will be encouraged by good news on the injury front: Kai Havertz, Martin Odegaard and Max Dauman are all set to face late fitness tests at Arsenal, with one (or more) of them likely to make the squad. Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard are both available. Mikel Merino is likely to miss the season.
Tottenham Hotspur are not expected to have any injured players back for today’s match. Dominic Solanke’s training week has been disrupted by illness but has gone well. Richarlison has returned to training but is not yet fit. Kevin Danso, James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, Destiny Udoji, Pedro Polo, Wilson Odobert, Lucas Bergvall, Mohamed Kudus, Rodrigo Bentancur and Ben Davis are all out due to injuries. Christian Romero will fight in his second fight on a four-game suspension.
Lineups will be released as they become available.
advertise
WHO: Arsenal vs Tottenham Hotspur
Where: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
when: Sunday, February 22 at 8:30 AM PT | 11:30 AM ET | 4:30 PM GMT
How to watch: Broadcast in the United States
For all your international streaming needs, visit LiveSoccerTV.com. Please do not share or discuss links to illegal streams here.