Arsenal vs Tottenham NLD preview: How to watch, lineups, injury updates & prediction

Arsenal have already played Chelsea and Manchester City this season. Tottenham have also already played Chelsea and Manchester City this season. Those don’t matter. This one does. It’s the North London Derby, and here is your preview.

In the same vein of a major European night or a cup final where the buzz of the fixture kicks in that little bit earlier than usual, the build up to Arsenal vs Tottenham always feels longer and more ardous.

Wanting the game to start now to satisfy the excitement is met with fearing the end result as the emotional stress this fixture brings about is borderline unenjoyable. There are plenty of people who downright loathe these 90 minutes and live solely for the full-time whistle.

For matchweek six of the 2021/22 Premier League season, the two north London sides find themselves closing in on the same path after differing starts. Arsenal kicked off the campaign is horrid fashion with three defeats and no goals, in stark contrast to their rivals who won their opening three without conceding.

Arsenal vs Tottenham North London Derby preview as Mikel Arteta’s side host Nuno Espirito Santo’s men at the Emirates Stadium

Mikel Arteta’s side have since rallied ever so slightly with two 1-0 victories being added to by a 3-0 Carabao Cup success over AFC Wimbledon. It’s far too soon to constitute that as ‘good form’, even if the results have been warmly welcomed. They were three matches Arsenal should be winning.

By contrast, Spurs were hammered 3-0 by both Patrick Vieira and Chelsea and have registered the lowest total xG in the division so far this term. Nuno-ball, eh?

They still boast two rather large threats in their team, two players who always turn up in this match. The bet isn’t whether Harry Kane will score a penalty, it’s when.

Win by a two-goal margin and the fortunes of these teams flip over. Arsenal can go above Spurs with such a scoreline, having been bottom of the table with Spurs at the top for the first time in top-flight history following the Manchester City defeat.

It’s the big one. It’s the North London Derby.

How to Watch on TV

When Is Kick Off? Sunday 26 September
What Time Is Kick Off? 16:30 (GMT)
Where Is it Played? Emirates Stadium
TV Channel/Live Stream? Sky Sports (UK) fuboTV (USA)
Referee? Craig Pawson

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Arsenal Team News vs Tottenham – Granit Xhaka Returns From Suspension

It’s quite remarkable. A sight rarely ever seen.

Fortunately the Amazon All or Nothing cameras are on hand to capture this incredible moment in history: Arsenal don’t have a single player absent.

Can you believe it? While this isn’t solely an Arsenal thing, you’ll have to go back a good few years(?) to find the last time the squad was completely in tact either with injuries or with suspensions.

Mohamed Elneny had been out with a hamstring strain yet was fit enough for a place on the bench against AFC Wimbledon, with the only other absentee from the group being Granit Xhaka, who has now served his three-game suspension for a red card and also recovered from COVID-19.

Will he go straight into the lineup?

Thomas Partey got an hour into his legs in midweek so he’s in tip-top shape, and whether will Arteta revert to the pivot he knows so well becomes a major talking point.

The visitors head into this one with huge doubts over Steven Bergwijn’s availability after suffering a bruised ankle, with fellow forward Lucas Moura also due to be absent leaving them light of options in attack.

Ryan Sessegnon is also going to miss Sunday’s meeting.

Arsenal Predicted Lineup vs Tottenham – Xhaka Back?

Arsenal: Ramsdale; Tomiyasu, White, Gabriel, Tierney; Partey, Xhaka, Saka, Odegaard, Smith Rowe; Aubameyang

Tottenham: Lloris; Emerson, Romero, Dier, Reguilon; Hojbjerg, Ndombele, Alli; Lo Celso, Kane, Son

Arsenal vs Tottenham: North London Derby Score Prediction

By this stage of the build up with anticipation rising everyone has started playing through a few scenarios in their heads; how the game will pan out and where it will ebb and flow.

For those of an Arsenal affiliation, they will have undoubtedly foreseen this particular chain of events.

• Arsenal dominate the ball early on
• One big chance goes begging
• Tottenham are on the ropes
• Counter-attack
• Son scores

Second half

• Xhaka gives away a penalty
• Kane scores
• Arsenal pile on the pressure
• Someone scores a header
• No second goal comes
• 2-1 defeat

Something like that? There will be other variations but for certain the standard Arsenal barrage of early pressure will be undone with a breakway goal that sees Son Heung-min tuck one away. That, and a Kane penalty. Death, taxes and…you know the rest.

There is a lot of talk about how Tottenham aren’t great. They’ve been getting a lot of justified stick. However, nor are Arsenal and two 1-0 wins over relegation candidates and a fairly laboured 3-0 victory over a League One side don’t change that drastically.

Tottenham have two players in Kane and Son who don’t even need to play well to score. They just need to be effective once or twice all 90 minutes and that’s it. They almost always are.

As ever, this game is so tough to call. Nonetheless, there is a worrying feeling that can’t be shirked. Call it pessimism.

Score Prediction: Arsenal 2-3 Tottenham