If you’re a Tottenham supporter, you’re ready for the “Tudor Dynasty” to begin. Well, sort of. The Igor Tudor era (on an interim basis) begins on Sunday with the North London Derby. Will Spurs get a “new manager bounce” from the caretaker boss taking charge? Will the added spirt of the NLD, and the chance to help ruin Arsenal’s quest to end their Premier League title drought help spur (pun intended) them on to victory?
We’ll see, as Tottenham are very under-manned right now, due to an extremely long injury list (and that’s a big reason why they’re 16th right now).
North London Derby FYIs
Kickoff: Feb. 22, 2026, at 4:30pm UK at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, UK
Team News: Tottenham Arsenal FC
Tottenham Managerial Candidates List: go here
Tottenham Full Detailed Injury List: go here
Google Result Probability: Arsenal FC 61% Draw 23% Tottenham 16%
PL Position, Form Guide: Arsenal FC 1st, 58 pts LWWDD Tottenham 16th, 29 pts LDDLL
Tottenham Team News
Back on January 30, when he was still the Tottenham manager, Thomas Frank made the following response, about the injury situations surrounding Richarlison and Pedro Porro: “That could be a dream scenario, and it just could happen [a return in the north London derby]. We will know a little bit more when we get closer – but it’s in that bracket.”
Both Porro and Richarlison are dealing with thigh injuries right now. They are the only two players who could come off the injured list for this one. Maddison, Danso, Bergvall, Davies, Odobert, Kudus, Udogie, Bentancur and Kulusevski all remain sidelined as longer-term injury absentees.
And then finally, Cristian Romero, the team’s best central defender, is suspended for this one, due to that red card violation he recently committed.
So in other words, the chances of Spurs springing an upset here are pretty small, considering how little Tudor has at his disposal.
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 USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, RG.org and Ratings.org. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.