Arsenal could name an unchanged lineup from midweek to face Tottenham, and Jurrien Timber could potentially make the bench.
Mikel Arteta will have some selection headaches before naming his lineup for the Tottenham clash as Arsenal prepare for the North London Derby. The Gunners’ boss could name an unchanged lineup from the Chelsea victory in midweek and go with a solid bench.
During his pre-match press conference, Arteta was asked many questions, including Jurrien Timber’s potential inclusion in the squad for the North London Derby. He also spoke about the title challenge and what he has told his players ahead of this crucial game against Tottenham.
Starting with Timber, who had been training with the group for a few weeks now, may have a chance to feature in the squad. On the question, Arteta said, “We have to make that decision tomorrow after the training session. He’s very close. I don’t know if this is too early, but he’s very close now.”
Arteta also touched upon the title challenge and what he has to do now. He said, “Now we are there. We have to look at ourselves and try to perform in the best possible way to win our matches and I can’t wait to see what happens. That’s what we discuss. It sounds a bit repetitive but it’s what we have to do.”
Finally, when asked what message he has given his Arsenal players ahead of the North London Derby, Arteta insisted that the group get the job done. He said, “Enjoy the moment, try to navigate this in a natural way.”
“They are super competitive at the moment, everything we’re doing in the training sessions is to compete, compete and compete. And it’s a really good sign, because we know what we’re going to have to do if we want to win it, and that’s it. We have to raise the bar every day in training to try to match that so that when we play our games, we’re ready.”
The Gunners came through unscathed from the Chelsea game. But if he does include Timber in the squad, then for the first time this season, Arteta will have a full complement of players fit and available. Going by the performance at Chelsea, the Spaniard might name an unchanged lineup to face Tottenham.
The dilemma would still circle his left-back and midfield choices. Takehiro Tomiyasu is his preferred go-to man for the big games. But Arteta might assess the Japanese full-back’s fitness before deciding.
Ben White, William Saliba, and Gabriel Magalhaes will keep their places in the backline. In midfield, Thomas Partey was at his impressive best in midweek, and Arteta might continue with the Ghanaian international at the base of his midfield.
Declan Rice will once again assume the left-eight role, with Martin Odegaard on the right-hand side of the pitch. Bukayo Saka hopes to find form and will look to revive his rivalry against Spurs. Kai Havertz will lead the line for the Gunners, while Leandro Trossard need not worry about losing his place in the starting lineup after yet another goalscoring display against Chelsea.
Predicted Arsenal XI: Raya; Ben White, Saliba, Gabriel, Tomiyasu; Odegaard, Partey, Rice; Saka, Havertz, Trossard
