As of now, the North London Derby will go on as planned, despite the warnings from Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta that it might not. The short-handed Gunners will make the short trip across this part of town to take on their most bitter of rivals, Tottenham Hotspur.
Injuries, covid-19, and even some disciplinary issues have left Arsenal with few options in filling out the team sheet. Honestly, it almost kind of picks itself for Arteta, so let’s take a look.
North London Derby FYIs
Kickoff: Sunday, Jan 16, 4:30pm, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Team News: Arsenal Tottenham
Starting XI Prediction: Arsenal Tottenham
Google Result Probability: Arsenal 32% Tottenham 40% Draw 28%
Form Guide: Arsenal LWWWW Tottenham WDWDW
Arsenal (4-2-3-1) Starting XI Prediction at Tottenham
Ramsdale; Tomiyasu, Gabriel, White, Tierney; Lokonga, Chambers, Saka, Smith Rowe, Martinelli; Lacazette
Tottenham manager Antonio Conte says that his opponents are ahead of them in the race for a UEFA Champions League qualification slot, as both missed out on it last year. Actually, neither even qualified for the Europa League.
Conte can say what he wants, but at the end of the day, his side still has a game in hand on the Gunners, and they can leapfrog them in the standings with a W here.
Prediction: Tottenham 3, Arsenal 2
Really predicting a high scoring one here, but that’s more about bad defending than it is actually accurate attack. Tottenham can easily exploit Arsenal’s severe issues with depth in this one.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Bank (TheSportsBank.Net) and author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” as well as “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune, and co-hosts the After Extra Time podcast. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.