Odegaard, Rice Among Top 6 Arsenal Players Who Could Miss Tottenham Tie
- Arsenal will likely be without six top players for their North London derby clash against Tottenham
- The rivalry between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal reignites on Sunday with the first North London Derby of the season
- This match marks the 175th league encounter between the two clubs, with the Gunners having triumphed in 71 of those meetings
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has confirmed that they will be missing four players for Sunday's North London Derby against Tottenham, with two others doubtful for the clash.
The Lilywhites went into the international break following a 2-1 loss to Newcastle United, while the Gunners saw their perfect start come to an end in a controversial 1-1 draw against Brighton & Hove Albion.
Source: UGC
The Gunners are eager to return to winning form as they head into a hectic week of fixtures following their recent Premier League draw with Brighton and prepare to face their arch-rivals on enemy turf.
Six Arsenal players could miss Tottenham clash
To secure a win, Arsenal will have to overcome the absence of several key players, as Arteta confirmed injuries and suspensions have hit the squad hard.
Firstly, newly-signed midfielder Mikel Merino is still sidelined due to a broken arm he suffered during his first training session.
Top midfielder Declan Rice will automatically miss the crunch game after he was sent off against Brighton.
The situation has been exacerbated by the international break, as captain Martin Odegaard is struggling with an ankle injury that will likely keep him sidelined, and defender Takehiro Tomiyasu is also unavailable.
However, Arteta mentioned that a decision regarding Riccardo Calafiori's fitness is still pending, while striker Gabriel Jesus is fit to make his return.
The Italian sustained an injury while on international duty last week and has not yet recovered, and both Tomiyasu and Kieran Tierney remain out due to injuries sustained before the break, which caused them to miss the recent draw at the Emirates Stadium.
During his pre-match press conference, Arteta provided the following update:
"He’s [Gabriel Jesus] got another session tomorrow, and if everything goes well, he’ll be with us. [Calafiori] He’s another one where we’ll have to wait another day.
"It's a slow process and it takes a while to heal. We're using this time to make sure he [Merino] understands and is back to help the team straight away."
Arsenal fans unhappy with Rice's red card
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Arsenal fans registered their displeasure on social media after midfielder Declan Rice was sent off during the match against Brighton.
Rice was penalised for fouling Joel Veltman but was later involved in an incident where he stepped in front of the Brighton defender and was struck by a swinging leg.
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Source: YEN.com.gh
