Arsenal face Tottenham Hotspur on the road in Sunday’s much-awaited Premier League clash.
The Gunners have shared the spoils against Brentford and Wolverhampton Wanderers in the last two gameweeks. They were 2-0 ahead at Wolves on Wednesday night, only to squander the advantage.
Arsenal are still five points ahead of Manchester City at the top of the table, but the Cityzens have a game in hand. Mikel Arteta’s side must return to winning ways in the north London derby tomorrow.
Ahead of the encounter, Arteta could make at least three changes to the starting line-up from the frustrating 2-2 stalemate against Wolves at the Molineux Stadium.
Timber dropped
The Netherlands international had a poor outing against Wolves. He was constantly gifting possession back to the Midlands outfit during the back end of the draw. Jurrien Timber lost the ball on 18 occasions on Wednesday. He was ineffective going forward as well, failing to deliver a single cross.
The £38 million signing should be dropped to the bench after his lacklustre showing. Arteta must make a change at right-back with Ben White coming in. The Englishman may not be strong in one-on-one duels like Timber, but he has better chemistry with Bukayo Saka, linking up higher up the field.
Odegaard back in midfield, Saka on the right wing
Saka started in the number 10 position for the second game running in midweek. He scored with an early header in the fifth minute. However, the Arsenal graduate did not provide much creativity from the role thereafter. He is a specialist right winger and should return to his preferred position ahead of Noni Madueke.
This obviously frees up space for another attacking midfielder. It could be a toss between Martin Odegaard, Kai Havertz and Eberechi Eze. Eze scored a sensational hat-trick in the reverse fixture, but his recent inconsistent form does not warrant a starting role in the north London derby.
Odegaard has been the most effective of the trio. He has five goal involvements in his last eight league appearances. The Norwegian looks poised to return from a knee issue and could be reinstated into the starting XI. Havertz or Eze could replace him off the bench at the hour mark.
Trossard returns on the left wing
Leandro Trossard’s absence from the starting XI against Wolves was a surprise. He was perfectly suited for the left wing role with his clever dribbling skills and ability to create chances from tight spaces. Instead, Gabriel Martinelli got the nod and had a forgettable outing.
Martinelli played the full 90 minutes. He squandered a big chance and won just four out of 18 duels. The Brazilian ace was guilty of losing possession on 24 occasions. Trossard was unlucky against Wolves. He came on as a late substitute and had to be taken off due to a blow to his jaw.
He has fully recovered from the minor setback and should feature on the left wing. Trossard has made five goal contributions against Spurs in just 10 meetings. Three of those goal involvements have come in the last two encounters. He bagged a goal and an assist in the 4-1 win earlier this term.