It is that weekend when the North London bragging rights are up for contest as Arsenal host Tottenham at the Emirates on Saturday evening. It is that weekend when reputations, form and past records mean very little as two North London powerhouses square off in one of the most hotly contested derbies in the game.
Arsenal overcame their Champions League disappointment with a convincing win against Aston Villa, but were subsequently knocked out of the Capital One Cup by Southampton. The players would be hurting and eager to prove a point, and what better occasion than the North London derby to get back to winning ways.
Tottenham, on the other hand, would be itching to get their season up and running after a bright start was cut short by sloppy defeats against Liverpool and then against West Brom last weekend. Tottenham have been at the receiving end of recent North London derbies, but a fresh look about the team could well make a difference.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger would be pleased to have a plethora of options at his disposal despite French full back Mathieu Debuchy being out with injury. Wenger’s experiment with the 4-1-4-1 has failed to produce dividends so far, so the tried and tested 4-2-3-1 seems the way forward.
Let’s take a look at the likely Arsenal XI which could take the field against Spurs on Saturday.
GK – Wozceich Szczesny
David Ospina looked comfortable in his much awaited debut against Southampton in the week, but Polish No.1 Szczesny has done little wrong to lose his place in the team. He well and truly remains Arsenal’s No.1 at the moment.
Defence
Chambers, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Gibbs.
Hector Bellerin remains an option, but is unlikely to be thrown into the spotlight in a match of this magnitude. Calum Chambers, therefore, makes his third start in a week, this time at right back to cover for the injured Mathieu Debuchy. Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny deserved their full week’s rest, given both were soldiering on with knocks but Arsenal’s most consistent central defensive partnership in recent years will start in this high stakes fixture. Given Mertesacker isn’t the quickest bloke around and Koscielny’s positioning can be a touch suspect at times, Arsenal have to be wary of Spurs’ counter-attacking threat. Kieran Gibbs is a unchallenged starter at left back.
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