Tottenham Hotspur v Arsenal predicted starting XIs: Solanke & Saka among doubtsplaceholder image
Tottenham Hotspur v Arsenal predicted starting XIs: Solanke & Saka among doubts | Getty Images
The latest team news and injury updates ahead of the North London Derby.
Tottenham Hotspur’s new interim manager Igor Tudor is set to face a baptism of fire this Sunday, with fierce rivals Arsenal set to make the short trip across town for his first match – and the Gunners will no doubt be itching to set the record straight after a disappointing midweek draw against Wolves.
Tudor’s task against Arsenal will be made all the more daunting by the extraordinary injury list he has inherited, with at least 10 players set to miss the North London Derby: Dominic Solanke finds himself down as a late doubt, but both Pedro Porro and Richarlison are among the players who have reportedly been close to a comeback.
Arsenal, meanwhile, will be sweating on the fitness of several player who are carrying knocks into the match, including Bukayo Saka and club captain Martin Ødegaard. With kick-off just over a day away, we’ve compiled all of the latest team news and injury updates for both sides below, along with our predictions for their respective starting line-ups.
Spurs team news and predicted line-up – could Porro & Richarlison return?
The situation is pretty bleak at Spurs, and Igor Tudor seems set to be missing no fewer than a dozen first-team players after confirming that neither Pedro Porro nor Richarlison (both hamstring) would return in time to take part in the North London Derby this weekend. Before leaving the club, Thomas Frank had hinted at the possibility of their involvement.
There’s also a fresh doubt over the availability of Dominic Solanke after he came down with a sore throat this week. Tudor said that Solanke made it back to training on Friday and it seems likely that the striker should be ready to play come Sunday.
Spurs will also be missing Cristian Romero with the defender still suspended following his red card against Manchester United, while an immense number of players are out for the long haul: Kevin Danso, Destiny Udogie, Lucas Bergvall, Ben Davies, Mohammed Kudus, Dejan Kulusevski, Rodrigo Bentancur, Wilson Odobert and James Maddison are all out with none expected back soon, and many likely to miss the rest of the season.
New head coach Tudor is widely expected to line Spurs up in a 3-4-3 formation when he can, but with so many absentees a four-man back line looks more probable at this point in time.
Spurs predicted line-up (4-3-3): Vicario; Spence, Van de Ven, Dragusin, Gray; Gallagher, Palhinha, Sarr; Simons, Solanke, Kolo Muani.
Arsenal team news and predicted line-up – will Saka miss out?
Arsenal have also had a handful of injury headaches in the build-up to Sunday’s match, especially after Bukayo Saka appeared to pick up a knock in the 1-1 draw against Wolves in midweek.
While Mikel Arteta has been typically unforthcoming about his players’ condition, it appears that he avoided serious injury and should be available to face Spurs – but there is rather more doubt as to whether Martin Ødegaard and Kai Havertz will be in the line-up.
“We will have to wait until tomorrow,” Arteta told the press during his Friday pre-match press conference. “But [there is a] big possibility for them to be available."
Another major doubt is Belgian forward Leandro Trossard, who suffered a head injury against Wolves and was withdrawn with a concussion substitute. If he did indeed endure a concussion, he will almost certainly be left out of the side, but that remains unconfirmed.
Arsenal predicted line-up (4-2-3-1): Raya; Calafiori, Gabriel, Saliba, Timber; Rice, Zubimendi; Eze, Saka, Madueke; Gyökeres.
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