The first North London derby of the season will take place on Sunday, resuming the rivalry between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal. This will be the clubs’ 175th league encounter; the Gunners have won 71 of those meetings. BBC Sport looks more closely at the derby’s statistical makeup and speculates on potential locations for the big fights. Arsenal’s recent victories over the Gunners Arsenal defeated Tottenham Hotspur Stadium 3-2 in their April meeting. It was their second straight victory against Spurs, and the first time they had done it in top flight at their bitterest rival’s stadium since September 1988.
They have only triumphed twice in their previous 17 away Premier League meetings against Spurs before winning there in the last two seasons (D6 L9). Based on past performance, it appears that one of the teams will likely win this match. Tottenham has only drawn once in their last 49 Premier League home games (2-2 vs Manchester United in April 2023) and none of their last 22 (W15 L7). Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, which opens in 2019, has the lowest percentage of draws (9% – 9/101) of any stadium in Premier League history. It is also noteworthy that the stadium has never hosted a goalless league game.
What impact will Arsenal’s midfield losses have?
Declan Rice is suspended, while captain Martin Odegaard is expected to miss three weeks due to an ankle injury sustained while playing for his country. As a result, Arsenal is severely shorthanded going into the match. fresh signee Due to a broken shoulder, Mikel Merino is also sidelined, which presents Mikel Arteta with a challenge in the midfield. Rice is the only player in the top division to have played for at least 90 minutes this season with a passing accuracy of 97.1%. He has been quite effective with the ball thus far. Since the beginning of the previous season, no Arsenal player has generated more chances than Odegaard, thus losing him would mean losing their greatest creative spark.
Jorginho is the most apparent choice to move into the midfield.
The Italy midfielder averaged 23.9 successful passes into the final third per 90 minutes last season, more than any other Arsenal player. His accuracy when playing over the top could be a strength against Tottenham’s high line. Leandro Trossard may replace Odegaard in Kai Havertz’s position behind the striker, potentially allowing Raheem Sterling to make his debut alongside Bukayo Saka in a three-man unit. The former midfielder for Arsenal, Cesc Fabregas, said on the Planet Premier League podcast, “No coach likes it when you miss one or two of the most vital players in your team.” “Arsenal must also reach this level. Even when Manchester City or Liverpool lack key players, they still handle it to the best of their abilities without truly missing them.