Tottenham Hotspur vs Arsenal – Match Preview

The Football Faithful

·15 September 2024

Tottenham Hotspur vs Arsenal – Match Preview

One of the Premier League’s most hotly anticipated fixtures occurs this weekend, as Tottenham Hotspur host Arsenal in the first North London Derby of the season.

This fierce rivalry always promises melodrama and ferocity and Sunday’s game has all the usual stakes and ingredients that make this derby so entertaining.

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There will be late fitness tests for Spurs duo Micky van de Ven and club record signing Dominic Solanke, with the latter being absent since his club’s opening game of the season against Leicester City.

The Gunners, meanwhile, will be hoping that captain Martin Odegaard can recover quickly following sustaining a nasty looking ankle injury on international duty for Norway.

Riccardo Calafiori is also a potential doubt after the Italian was forced off with an injury during the international break, whilst midfielder Declan Rice will serve his one game suspension after his sending off against Brighton.

The Tottenham Hotspur stadium has been an auspicious venue in recent years for Arsenal and if Mikel Arteta’s side were to win on enemy soil again, it would mean they’ve already tasted victory at Spurs’ new stadium more than Tottenham have won at the Emirates. The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium opened in 2019, the Emirates opened in 2006.

Tottenham vs Arsenal Preview

Read – Arsenal predicted XI and team news vs Spurs

Form

Tottenham Hotspur: DWL

The Lilywhites will be reeling after their first defeat of the campaign in the North East, as Newcastle tormented them again.

Ange Postecoglou will be hoping his players can show some resolve against their rivals on Sunday after undeservedly dropping points to the Magpies and newly promoted Leicester City.

Spurs’ results perhaps have not accurately reflected their performance, but either through a lack of potency or through misfortune, they only find themselves with four points out of a possible nine. Sunday’s game will be the perfect opportunity for Tottenham to rectify their shortcomings.

Arsenal: WWD

Arsenal’s perfect record was blemished before the international break, as the Gunners had to settle for a point apiece with Brighton despite Declan Rice’s controversial dismissal.

Kai Havertz’s delicate chip had given Mikel Arteta’s outfit a foothold on proceedings, but the second half brought disaster for the North London club.

Declan Rice was booked in the first period for impeding Joel Veltman and the pair had another altercation after the interval.

The Dutchman looked to take a freekick quickly but Rice poked the ball away, which saw Veltman kick the Englishman instead. Much to the surprise of the Arsenal midfielder he was the one given his marching orders by referee Chris Kavanagh.

That decision changed the game completely and Joao Pedro equalised for the Seagulls shortly after. Either team could have claimed all three points as legs grew weary, but both sides were missing a touch of efficiency in their finishing.

That Joao Pedro strike is the only goal they have conceded this term, as they kept clean sheets in 2-0 wins over Aston Villa and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The next week of fixtures will prove to be a stern test for Arsenal, as they make three gruelling trips. The short journey to the Tottenham Hotspur stadium precedes the start of their Champions League journey in Bergamo as they face Atalanta in midweek. And the subsequent weekend? An away trip to the Champions Manchester City.

Read – Tottenham predicted lineup and team news vs Arsenal

Last Meeting

Tottenham Hotspur 2-3 Arsenal, Premier League, 28th April 2024

The Gunners inflicted misery on their North London counterparts for consecutive seasons the last time they went to battle, as they held on to defeat their rivals despite a late revival attempt by the hosts.

By halftime, Arsenal already seemed to have the full complement of points wrapped up, as they raced into a 3-0 lead.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg inadvertently diverted the ball into his own net to put Arsenal into the driving seat before Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz were both devastating on the break to give their side an almost unassailable advantage.

But after the interval, Tottenham introduced themselves into the contest. Cristian Romero capitalised on David Raya’s error to pull a goal back and the Lilywhites’ captain Heung-min Son converted a penalty with three minutes remaining of the 90’ to stage a nervy end.

However, Arsenal held their nerve to seal another victory in N17 and claim all the bragging rights. For Spurs, that poor result ended up being in the midst of an abysmal run of four straight defeats.

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