Arsenal vs Tottenham: Early preview for huge North London Derby

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Arsenal cannot afford any more slip-ups if we want to remain in the title hunt so victory is essential when we welcome Tottenham Hotspur to the Emirates Stadium in our next Premier League clash on January 15th.

After an impressive start to the campaign, Arsenal’s title charge has been derailed by a series of disappointing results. Defeats away to Bournemouth and Newcastle in October and November were hugely damaging but we still had time to make up for those losses and close the gap on run-away leaders, Liverpool.

We got back on track with solid wins over Nottingham Forest, West Ham and Manchester United to keep in touch with the Merseysiders. Arsenal then had the chance to close the gap when we visited Craven Cottage in early December but could only manage a frustrating 0-0 draw. A home clash with lowly Everton seemed like the perfect opportunity to get back to winning ways but the Toffees stubborn defence held firm and Arsenal lacked ideas in the final third. A dour 0-0 was a hammer blow to our title hopes.

Once again, Arsenal responded well to those disappointing results as we thrashed Crystal Palace 5-1 before seeing off Ipswich Town and Brentford over the festive period. However, once again we’ve slipped up when we had the chance to cut Liverpool’s advantage and put some pressure on. A 1-1 draw with Brighton at the Amex Stadium was another blow to our title ambitions.

There was huge controversy over the Brighton goal as William Saliba was penalised for an accidental clash of heads in the area. Replays showed Saliba actually got a touch on the ball as well, meaning it should never have been a penalty, and we won’t see another spot kick given for a similar incident this season. Arsenal were rightly incensed by another contentious decision going against us, but the fact is our second half display was shocking and we didn’t really deserve to win.

A combination of injuries to key players, suspensions and illness have depleted our squad and we simply don’t have the required depth to cope. Our attack was already light before losing Bukayo Saka and Raheem Sterling to injury, while Gabriel Martinelli, Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard all couldn’t start against Brighton due to illness. Our attack has been decimated at just the wrong time as we have nine games in all competitions this month and it’s hard to see how Arsenal can handle that sort of fixture list with such a small squad.

Tottenham next in the league

While Arsenal have a couple of cup games to navigate over the coming days, our next Premier League match is a huge North London Derby against Tottenham at the Emirates on January 15th.

This has now become a must-win, as any more dropped points and we can all-but forget about the title. Liverpool currently hold a five point lead with two games in hand and a far superior goal difference, so we’re already relying on them slipping up at least four times if we’re to catch them. Time is running out with each passing game so Arsenal simply have to beat Spurs if we want to retain any hope to getting ourselves back in the title conversation.

The good news is Spurs are in a bit of a rut and sit 12th in the table after a shocking run of results. They lost 2-1 at home to Newcastle United last time out having been held to a 2-2 draw by Wolves the prior game. They also lost away to Forest after beating beaten 6-3 at home by Liverpool so the pressure is mounting on Ange Postecoglou.

Spurs have been ravaged by injuries which certainly hasn’t helped their cause, and it remains to be seen if any of their key players will return for the trip to Arsenal. However, form usually goes out the window in North London Derbies, so we can’t take them too lightly. Irrespective of form, Arsenal vs Tottenham tickets will always be in high demand and this will no doubt be a fiercely contested match.

Team news

Arsenal will continue to be without Bukayo Saka as he’s not expected to return until March following hamstring surgery. Ben White is also out for the foreseeable future with a knee injury while Ethan Nwaneri is set for a spell on the sidelines after being forced off with a muscle injury against Brighton.

Takehiro Tomiyasu is back in light training so he could be back in contention to face Spurs if he doesn’t suffer any set-backs. Raheem Sterling could also return to the squad after missing the last few games with a knee injury.

Kai Havertz should be available to face Tottenham after a bout of illness while Jurrien Timber is back from suspension.

As for Tottenham, goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario is certain to miss out due to a fractured foot while Destiney Udogie has been ruled out for around six weeks with a hamstring injury.

Ben Davies is out with a hamstring problem while Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven are expected to be short of fitness as they continue to recover from their own hamstring complaints so Spurs are short in defence.

However, there could be some positive news as Richarlison may be in contention for the trip to the Emirates while Fraser Forster and Radu Dragusin should be back from illness by the time Spurs take on Arsenal.

Prediction

Arsenal won the reverse fixture 1-0 at the New Tottenham Stadium back in September and we should be confident of completing a double over our North London rivals.

Given Tottenham’s problems in defence, even without Saka, Arsenal should have enough firepower to breach their weakened backline on home soil. It will be important to get Odegaard, Martinelli and Havertz back to full fitness following their illness, as we’ve lacked threat in the final third while they’ve been under the weather.

Assuming we don’t pick up any fresh injury concerns during the cup games against Newcastle and Manchester United over the coming week, Arsenal should have too much quality for Tottenham to handle.

It’s rarely straightforward when we play Spurs, and they are a threat on the counter attack, but Postecoglou’s gung-ho tactics should play into our hands and give us the space we need to cause them damage. I’m predicting a 3-1 Arsenal win. 

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