Arsenal FC manager Mikel Arteta put it plainly, after his side utterly thrashed Chelsea earlier today, 5-0. “We have to do our job,” he said. “Now we have to wait and see (for Liverpool and Manchester City’s results). We have a lot of games coming up. Let’s enjoy tonight and let’s go back to work.” Up next is a visit to Tottenham Hotspur, for the next edition of the North London Derby on Sunday.
In the meantime, Arsenal sit top of the Premier League table, after 34 fixtures.
North London Derby FYIs
Kickoff: Sun. April 28, 2024 at 2pm UK at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Team News: Tottenham Arsenal
Starting XI Prediction: Arsenal Tottenham
Google Result Probability: Arsenal 50% Draw 24% Tottenham 26%
PL Position, Form Guide: Arsenal 1st, 74 pts, WLWWD Tottenham 5th, 60 pts, LWDWL
The Gunners are three points ahead of Liverpool, who will play their 34th match tomorrow. They are also four clear of third place Manchester City, who will stage their 33rd game the day after tomorrow.
So here is the first team that Arteta went with against Chelsea: Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Tomiyasu; Odegaard, Partey, Rice; Saka, Havertz, Trossard
And here is the list of the players that he named to the bench tonight: Ramsdale, Kiwior, Zinchenko, Jorginho, Vieira, Smith Rowe, Martinelli, Jesus, Nketiah
So with all of that in mind, we don’t expect much squad rotation, per say, but we do expect to see some changes here and there.
Arsenal Starting XI Prediction at Tottenham Hotspur
Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Tomiyasu; Odegaard, Jorginho, Rice; Saka, Havertz, Jesus
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to Ravens Wire, part of the USA Today SMG’s NFL Wire Network and the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and the Washington Times. You can follow him on Twitter.