- Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal will both miss key players when they face off in the North London derby on February 22
- Tottenham have a bigger problem with new manager Igor Tudor having an entire starting XI out for his first game in charge
- Arsenal will go searching for their fourth consecutive win at the home of their rivals, with Manchester City breathing down their necks
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Arsenal will this evening make the short trip to their North London rivals, Tottenham Hotspur, for a Premier League derby, but a lot of players will miss the contest.
Source: Getty Images
Pressure is cranking up on the Gunners in the title race after Manchester City cut their lead at the top to just two points after a hard-fought 2-1 win over Newcastle United on Saturday.
Arsenal were held to a two-all stalemate by bottom-placed club Wolverhampton Wanderers on Wednesday last week, which set off the alarm bells. Failure to win against Tottenham could give Pep Guardiola’s side a chance to pip them in the next game.
On the other end, they face a rival who is surprisingly fighting to avoid relegation at the end of the season. Spurs fired Thomas Frank after a spate of poor results left them just four points above the drop zone.
Who will miss Tottenham vs Arsenal?
Former Juventus head coach Igor Tudor has been roped in on an interim capacity to try and steady the ship, but he will face an uphill task against the Gunners on his debut.
Tudor will miss 11 first-team players as the injury crisis continues to bite Tottenham. Wilson Odobert became the latest player to join the sidelines after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament.
He joins James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski, who have been out for the better part of the season with serious knee injuries as well.
Source: Getty Images
Rodrigo Bentancur’s hamstring problem is also set to rule him out for almost the entire season, with summer signing Mohammed Kudus battling a hamstring problem as well.
At the back, Ben Davies, Destiny Udogie, and Kevin Danso will also sit out of the game. Other absentees for Spurs include Lucas Bergvall (ankle) and captain Cristian Romero. Romero will be serving the second of his four-match suspension.
Is Bukayo Saka fit?
Arsenal doesn’t have a similar crisis, with only Max Dowman and Mikel Merino effectively ruled out. Mikel Arteta eased concerns about Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard, who appeared to get knocks against Wolves.
Arteta also confirmed that Kai Havertz could return after initially being ruled out with a muscle problem. Captain Martin Odegaard will also undergo a late fitness test.
“Well, we have to wait until tomorrow, but there is a big possibility that they are available for the game,” he said via Arsenal’s website.
Supercomputer predicts top four finishers
Opta’s supercomputer has predicted who will qualify for the Champions League next season.
The Premier League could have five Champions League spots next season.
Arsenal and Manchester City have already locked their places, leaving the rest of the teams to battle for the remaining spots.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
