Arsene Wenger’s charges were beaten in their most recent encounter prior to the international break, going down 3-1 at Manchester City. The Frenchman complained about a couple of refereeing decisions after the match, but the truth was Arsenal were second best throughout the encounter and did not deserve to take anything away from the Etihad Stadium. It was a disappointing result for the Gunners following their previous victories over Everton and Swansea City, and one which leaves their Premier League title hopes hanging by a thread – Pep Guardiola’s City are now 12 points clear of Arsenal at the summit of the standings. Only three points separate Wenger’s side from fourth spot, though, and securing a return to the Champions League after last year’s fifth-place finish will be the club’s principal objective this term.
Spurs followed up a famous triumph over Real Madrid in the Champions League by grinding out a 1-0 win against strugglers Crystal Palace when they last took to the field. It was far from a convincing display from Mauricio Pochettino’s men, but the most important thing was the result and Son Heung-min’s strike ensured they collected all three points at Wembley; Manchester City remain eight points ahead of last season’s runners-up, however, so it is essential that Spurs avoid defeat this weekend. Pochettino has done a tremendous job since taking charge of Tottenham in May 2014, but there remains a question mark over his approach to high-profile matches away from home: Spurs have won only one of 16 big-six games on the road under the ex-Southampton boss.
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Arsenal will have to make do without Olivier Giroud (thigh), Rob Holding (thigh), David Ospina (groin) and long-term absentee Santi Cazorla, but Shkodran Mustafi could return after recovering from a thigh issue. Wenger appears to be wedded to a 3-4-2-1 formation – he even deployed Francis Coquelin in the backline last time out in order to retain his now favoured setup – and will almost certainly employ it again here, with Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez and Alexandre Lacazette in line to start at the top of the pitch. A midfield duo of Granit Xhaka and Aaron Ramsey has been exposed in big games in the past, so it will be interesting to see whether Wenger reconfigures Arsenal’s engine room in order to make life as difficult as possible for Spurs.
Tottenham will be unable to call upon the services of Michel Vorm (knee), Toby Alderweireld (hamstring), Erik Lamela (hip) and Victor Wanyama (knee), but Harry Kane and Harry Winks are both fit enough to feature from the start. Dele Alli should also be available once more following a hamstring strain, while goalkeeper Hugo Lloris requires a fitness test to ascertain whether he can return between the sticks. Pochettino has regularly switched between three and four-man backlines so far this term and will probably opt for the former here, with Eric Dier likely to sit between Jan Vertonghen and Davinson Sanchez in the heart of the defence.
Spurs have overtaken Arsenal in the north London pecking order in recent times, but the Gunners remain strong in front of their own supporters and will not roll over on Saturday. A score draw looks like the most likely outcome in this one, while under 2.5 goals is another wager worth considering in what will probably be a tight, low-scoring encounter between two teams who are desperate not to lose to their fiercest adversaries. In the anytime goalscorer market, Christian Eriksen – fresh from a hat-trick for Denmark in Tuesday’s World Cup qualification play-off against the Republic of Ireland – would be a sensible selection.
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