Tottenham vs Arsenal : 13 players set to miss North London clash
- Tottenham Hotspur F.C. and Arsenal F.C. are both set to be without important players when they clash in the North London derby on February 22
- Spurs face the more severe crisis, with new boss Igor Tudor missing enough first-team stars to fill an entire starting XI for his debut
- Arsenal are chasing a fourth straight away win against their rivals, as Manchester City F.C. continue to apply pressure in the title race
Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur go into the North London Derby facing completely different injury circumstances.
The fierce rivals meet on Sunday, February 22, with all three points vital at both ends of the table, Arsenal chasing the title and Spurs battling to stay clear of relegation trouble.
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According to Flashscore, Mikel Arteta’s side has had significantly less recovery time after their worrying 2-2 draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers on Wednesday, February 18.
Dropping points against Tottenham could hand Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City the opportunity to overtake them in the following round.
Meanwhile, they come up against a Spurs team unexpectedly fighting to avoid relegation as the season draws to a close. Tottenham dismissed Thomas Frank after a run of poor results left them just four points above the drop zone.
13 players to miss Tottenham vs Arsenal
Former Juventus head coach Igor Tudor has been appointed on an interim basis to steady the club, but he faces a daunting first assignment against the Gunners.
Tudor will be without 11 first-team players as Tottenham’s injury crisis deepens. Wilson Odobert is the latest casualty after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament.
He joins James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski, both sidelined for much of the campaign with serious knee injuries.
Rodrigo Bentancur is also expected to miss almost the remainder of the season with a hamstring issue, while summer signing Mohammed Kudus is battling a similar problem.
Defensively, Ben Davies, Destiny Udogie and Kevin Danso will also miss out. Other absentees include Lucas Bergvall (ankle) and club captain Cristian Romero, who is serving the second match of a four-game suspension.
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Arsenal, by contrast, are not facing a similar crisis. Only Max Dowman and Mikel Merino are effectively ruled out. Arteta has eased fears over Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard after both appeared to pick up knocks against Wolves.
He also confirmed that Kai Havertz could return after initially being sidelined with a muscle problem, while captain Martin Odegaard is set for a late fitness test.
“Well, we have to wait until tomorrow, but there is a big possibility that they are available for the game,” Arteta said via Arsenal’s official website.
Opta Supercomputer predicts EPL winner
Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that Opta’s supercomputer has trimmed Arsenal’s title chances to 79.69% after the Wolves draw, while Manchester City’s hopes have risen to 17.26%, tightening the race.
With demanding fixtures ahead for both sides, every slip-up could prove decisive as Arsenal face Tottenham, Chelsea, Brighton, Everton, and Bournemouth, while City take on Newcastle, Leeds, Nottingham Forest, West Ham, and Chelsea.
Source: YEN.com.gh
