Tottenham vs Arsenal preview, tickets, team news, line-ups and prediction

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Arsenal get back to action following the international break as we make the short trip across North London to take on Tottenham Hotspur.

We’ve had almost two weeks to stew over the controversial draw against Brighton before the break but the pain of that result remains. Arsenal were on course to securing a third consecutive victory of the season after Kai Havertz had put us ahead with a fine finish shortly before half time.

Brighton were offering very little going forward and Arsenal were comfortable in the game. However, the match turned on it’s head when Declan Rice was sent off in controversial circumstances just minutes into the second half. A slight flick of the ball as he walked away from a clash with Joel Veltman near the Brighton corner flag led to the defender booting the Arsenal man on the leg. Rice went down clutching his shin and almost everybody watching was expecting Veltman to be published.

However, to the surprise of everyone, not least Rice, the former West Ham man was shown a second yellow card and was sent off. Replays showed Rice had given the slightest of touches to the ball as he walked away and the referee deemed that was enough to deliberately prevent the restart of play. While is the ‘letter of the law’ the referee is within his writes to give Rice a yellow, this is the sort of incident that goes unpunished 99% of the time. Particularly as Veltman followed through with a very deliberate kick to Rice’s leg. Any referee with an ounce of common sense would give both players a talking too and restart the game, but Chris Kavanagh wanted to make a name for himself and dished out the most ludicrous yellow card you’ll see.

Arsenal were rightly incensed, not least because Joao Pedro wasn’t given a yellow card for booting the ball 50 yards up the pitch ‘preventing the restart’ earlier in the game. It’s the inconsistency of decisions, as well as the lack of common sense, that riles fans, managers and players the most.

It didn’t take Brighton long to equalise against 10-men Arsenal, with Pedro scoring in the 58th minute to make it 1-1. Arsenal regained their composure and had two excellent chances to win it but neither Kai Havertz nor Bukayo Saka could take their opportunities and the game ended in a draw. Two dropped points for Arsenal, all thanks to a ridiculous refereeing decision, and we now trail Manchester City and Liverpool by two points in the table.

Tough run

Arsenal need to put that disappointment behind them as we now face a tough run of fixtures starting with a trip to Tottenham this weekend. We then travel to Italy to take on Atalanta in the Champions League on Wednesday night before a huge clash with champions Man City at the Etihad next Sunday.

It’s important we get something against Spurs on Sunday, not least because we’re up against our fierce rivals, but because we cannot afford to slip too far behind City and Liverpool so early in the season.

However, we know that it’s going to be difficult away to Tottenham, and they’ll also be looking to bounce back from a disappointing 2-1 defeat to Newcastle United last time out. Spurs have only picked up four points from their opening three games having also dropped points at Leicester City, so they’ll want to get back to winning ways on Sunday afternoon.

How to watch

Understandably, the match has been selected for live broadcast and will be shown on Sky Sports at 2pm on Sunday afternoon. Subscribers can follow all the action on TV, or through the Sky Go app.

Supporters lucky enough to have Tottenham vs Arsenal tickets will be able to watch along live at the New Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Team News

Arsenal have been dealt a major blow with the news that Martin Odegaard is facing at least three weeks on the sidelines with an ankle injury. The Gunners skipper suffered the issue while playing for Norway on Monday night and hobbled off in tears after being caught by an Austrian defender.

Odegaard will have a second MRI scan once the swelling goes down to confirm the full extent of the injury but early indications suggest he’ll be out for between 3-6 weeks, which is a huge blow for Arsenal.

Riccardo Calafiori also came home early from international duty after picking up a knock while playing for Italy but his injury isn’t thought to be serious. He’ll be assessed ahead of this weekend but the defender is expected to be available.

Gabriel Jesus has missed Arsenal’s last two games with a groin injury so he remains a doubt to face Spurs while Takehiro Tomiyasu is out with a knee injury.

Rice is suspended following his ridiculous dismissal last time out while Mikel Merino is out with a fractured shoulder so Arsenal are lacking in options in midfield this weekend.

As for Spurs, Richarlison is a doubt with a knock while Dominic Solanke will need a late fitness test on an Ankle injury that he sustained last month. Micky van de Ven is a slight doubt with a knee knock while Yves Bissouma also picked up an injury playing for his country.

Possible line-ups

Mikel Arteta has a huge decision to make over how he lines-up in midfield in the absence of Rice, Merino and Odegaard. Jorginho is expected to come in alongside Thomas Partey while Leandro Trossard could be deployed in the central attacking midfield role.

If Jesus is fit he could start up front with Kai Havertz dropping back into midfield but it remains to be seen whether the Brazilian is ready to return. Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli should start in attack for the Gunners.

Likely Arsenal XI: Raya, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Timber, Jorginho, Partey, Havertz, Saka, Jesus, Martinelli

Likely Spurs XI: Vicario, Porro, van de Ven, Romero, Udogie, Sarr, Bissouma, Maddison, Johnson, Son, Solanke

Prediction

Arsenal have severe problems in midfield and it will be interesting to see how they line-up on Sunday and who the chief creator is with Odegaard out. This is always a tough game and Ange Postecoglou will no doubt be desperate to get one over Arsenal on Sunday.

Spurs have a decent team and will cause us problems, but the good news is Arsenal’s defence is more than capable of keeping them at bay. As long as we can limit their clear cut chances, I fancy Arsenal to take something away from the game. Tottenham 1-1 Arsenal

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