Arsenal FC will take on Tottenham for the first time at the new Tottenham Hotspur stadium on Sunday and the Gunners will be without one of their young stars owing to a suspension.
The Emirates club go into the North London Derby looking to get back to winning ways after a disappointing draw against Leicester City. Both teams have to get a positive result to keep their chances of European qualification alive and this is how Arsenal FC would likely line up on Sunday.
In goal, we will continue to see Emiliano Martinez who has been very impressive in the absence of Bernd Leno. With manager Mikel Arteta set to continue with his 3-4-3 formation, we are likely to see Shkodran Mustafi, David Luiz and Sead Kolasinac at the center of defense.
The Bosnian will get the nod over Rob Holding and Sokratis as Arteta might prefer a left footed option in defense.
Further up, we will see a combination of two wing-backs along with a two-man midfield. The manager might go with the reliable duo of Hector Bellerin and Kieran Tierney on either side of defense. There shouldn’t be any surprise in midfield as we will possibly see the pivot of Dani Ceballos and Granit Xhaka once again.
There could be a change here as Lucas Torreira is back in contention and could start, but the form that Ceballos has been in might help him retain his place in the first eleven.
Up front, the Emirates club have to deal with the prospect of losing out on Eddie Nketiah for three games.
Alexandre Lacazette will take his position as the central striker and on the left wing, we should see the top goal scorer and captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang continue and hopefully add to his goal tally. Though there is a chance for Nicolas Pepe to return, we will most likely see Bukayo Saka once again take his place on the right-hand side.
Arsenal FC Predicted Starting Lineup 3-4-3:
Emiliano Martinez, Hector Bellerin, David Luiz, Shkodran Mustafi, Sead Kolasinac, Kieran Tierney, Granit Xhaka, Dani Ceballos, Bukayo Saka, Alexandre Lacazette, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
North London Derby FYIs
Kickoff: Sat July 11, 8pm BST, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Arsenal Team News: go to this link
Tottenham Starting XI prediction: go to this link
Records, Position: Arsenal FC 12-14-8, 50 pts, 8th Tottenham 13-10-11, 49 pts, 9th
Odds: Tottenham +160 Draw +240 Arsenal +170