Overview
Tottenham's form has been quite erratic since the start of the tournament. The "Roosters" were held to a draw by newly promoted Leicester in their opening match. They then beat Everton but were beaten 2-1 by Newcastle in the next round. Therefore, Spurs fans really need a good performance from their team against Arsenal.
Although the quality of the squad cannot be compared to the Gunners, Tottenham also has players capable of shining. Among them, the most prominent is captain Son Heung-min, who scored twice against Everton and scored 8 goals against Arsenal. Besides, Maddison, Solanke, Kulusevski and Werner are also eager to score their first goal of the new season.
On the other side of the front line, Arsenal are still unbeaten after their first three matches. They beat Wolves and Aston Villa with the same score of 2-0 and drew 1-1 with Brighton in the match where Declan Rice received a red card. Overall, coach Mikel Arteta's team is still a strong candidate for the title.
However, the North London derby comes at a time when the Gunners' midfield is seriously damaged. Rice is suspended, while Martin Odegaard picked up an injury on international duty. New signing Mikel Merino is also yet to recover. Kai Havertz is likely to be moved deeper and Jorginho will start from the start.
In addition, Raheem Sterling also has the opportunity to debut for the Emirates team. Notably, the English striker often plays well against Tottenham with 8 goals and 5 assists after 24 confrontations.
Arsenal fans will feel confident considering the recent head-to-head record between the two teams. The Gunners are unbeaten against Tottenham in their last four meetings (W3 D1). Looking further, in their last seven games against Arsenal, Tottenham have won just one and lost five.
Human resources situation
Richarlison is a definite absentee for the hosts. Dominic Solanke could return to the starting line-up after recovering from injury. Yves Bissouma and Micky van de Ven will need further fitness assessments upon their return from international duty.
On the other side of the front line, in addition to the three absent midfielders, Arsenal also lack the services of Kieran Tierney and Takehiro Tomiyasu. However, the good news for Arteta is that Gabriel Jesus and Jorginho have recovered.
Expected lineup:
Tottenham: Vicario, Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie, Sarr, Bentancur, Kulusevski, Maddison, Son Heung-min, Solanke.
Arsenal: Raya, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Timber, Havertz, Partey, Jorginho, Saka, Jesus, Martinelli.
The match between Tottenham and Arsenal takes place at 20:00 on September 15 (Vietnam time).
