Arsenal Vs Tottenham Hotspur: North London Derby Will Be Owned By The Gunners

Bukayo Saka, keep Arsenal's unbeaten record (photo; x @Arsenal)

JAKARTA - One of the most anticipated matches in the Premier League calendar is back this weekend. Arsenal host city rivals Tottenham Hotspur at the Emirates Stadium at the North London derby, which is always full of emotions and prestige, Sunday, November 23.

The Gunners welcome this match in a comfortable position at the top of the standings whatever the result, their position remains safe. On the other hand, Spurs could actually fall into the bottom half of the standings if they fail to score points.

Arsenal have performed outstanding throughout the season: scoring goals, winning, and winning clean sheets consistently. However, their impressive performance was stopped when Sunderland was detained ahead of the international break. Arsenal's former academy player, Daniel wary, broke a record of 812 minutes without conceding the Gunners before his assist was completed by Brian Brobbey to equalize the score 2-2.

Two goals in the second half from Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard were not enough to secure victory. Even so, Arsenal are still four points ahead of Manchester City. The advantage could be cut to one if City wins over Newcastle.

International breaks are often considered the right moment to recover the rhythm after the disappointing results. But for Arsenal who have to face Bayern Munich and Chelsea at the end of the month, losing momentum can be fatal. Luckily for Mikel Arteta, they played in the Emirates, where Arsenal have only conceded one goal in the Premier League this season's best score so far.

On the other hand, Tottenham came with an away game specialist status. They have won 13 of the 15 points available when playing outside the home, the best achievement in the league this season.

Spurs should have been able to crawl up to third last week if not for late Matthijs de Ligt's goal which saw them draw 2-2 against Manchester United. The addition of one point remains an improvement after a 0-1 loss to Chelsea 'the match that recorded Spurs' lowest xG in Premier League history.

Head-to-head, Arsenal have now dominated since Spurs' home win in 2022. The Gunners have won five of the last six derbys and have the chance to win four times in a row for the first time in the Premier League era.

The news Arsenal supporters have been waiting for turned into a nightmare: Gabriel Magalhaes is expected to be absent until the end of 2025 due to a hamstring injury while defending Brazil.

The situation is getting more complicated because Riccardo Calafiori has not returned to training due to a hip injury. This means that Arteta may have to lower Crithhaan Mosquera and Piero Hincapie with William Saliba.

Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz have also not recovered, while Gabriel Martinelli, Viktor Gyokeres, and Noni Madueke are still in doubt. Gabriel Jesus (ACL) has just returned to light training and is not ready to appear.

Spurs brought positive news instead. Thomas Frank confirmed eight players are back fit, including Pape Sarr, Lucas Bergvall, and Randal Kolo Muani who will play wearing face shields.

Mohammed Kudus, Archie Gray, Takai City, Ben Davies, and Radu Dragusin have also returned to training. Dragusin even came close after ACL's injury after appearing in a closed trial match.

Spurs remain missing four players: Dominic Solanke, Yves Bissouma, Dejan Kulusevski, and James Maddison. It is also the first North London derby since 2014 without Harry Kane or Son Heung-min who scored 27% of Spurs' goals against Arsenal in the Premier League.

Arsenal and Spurs are both lethal in a set-piece situation Arsenal lead the league with 10 set-piece goals, while Spurs are the team with the fewest set-pieces (only two) conceded.

There is a lot of uncertainty in Arsenal's camp due to injury problems, and this derby can be determined by just one moment. If that's the case, the depth of the Arsenal squad gives them a little advantage to win a narrow victory, even with a backline to be overhauled.

The North London Derby this time is predicted to be tight, intense, and ending for the hosts' thin advantage.

Raya; Timber, Saliba, Mosquera, Hincapie; Eze, Zubimendi, Rice; Saka, Merino, Trossard

Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Spence; Palhinha, Sarr; Kudus, Simons, Odobert; Richarlison

Arsenal 1 Tottenham Hotspur