Preview: Arsenal battle it out with Spurs as both teams seek redemption

Tonight's North London derby will take place at the Emirates Stadium. (Image credits - Tony Wu)

The North London derby will take place tonight at the Emirates Stadium. Arsenal's clash with Tottenham Hotspur will be the 197th meeting between the two sides in the English League. The Gunners have historically had a better record against their arch-rivals, winning 83 games while losing 61. 

Mikel Arteta and his men are coming on the back of a disappointing defeat against Manchester United in the FA Cup on Sunday. The chaotic class saw the Gunners being knocked out of the tournament by out on penalties. Arsenal have drawn a lot of criticism following Sunday’s defeat. 

Many fans have started to question Arteta’s approach recently. They argue that while the Spaniard has assembled a world-class squad, there's no point if they can't win any trophies. Therefore, tonight’s clash is more than just the derby for Arsenal; it's a chance for redemption.

The Gunners currently find themselves in 3rd place, just a point behind Nottingham Forest, who earned a crucial point against Liverpool last night. The draw has provided Arteta and his men with a golden opportunity to narrow down the gap between them and Liverpool. 

Crucial Game for Big Ange as well

Today's match is of great importance to Ange Postecoglou and his men as well. While Spurs might not be competing for the title race, they sure are competing for pride. 

Tottenham’s turbulent season has been a matter of disappointment. While there have been moments of spark, they currently find themselves at the 13th spot, being 13 points behind Chelsea, who are at the 4th spot.

Shockingly, Spurs are closer to the relegation zone than they are to the top 4. Tottenham still have a shot at winning a trophy this season, heading into the second leg of the Carabao Cup’ semi-finals with a 1-0 lead over Liverpool. Despite that, their record in the league is extremely hard to overlook for their fans.

Team News

Both teams are currently dealing with a significant number of injuries, preventing both the managers from fielding their strongest 11. 

ARSENAL

Arsenal have been handed a fresh blow as Gabriel Jesus tore his ACL in Sunday's clash against United, putting an end to his season. The injury list becomes even longer for Arteta.

The list includes players such as Bukayo Saka, Ben White, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Ethan Nwaneri, and now Gabriel Jesus as well. Star defenders Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori also remain a doubt for the much-anticipated clash.

TOTTENHAM

Tottenham are dealing with fresh blows, worsening their injury crisis. Injuries to Rodrigo Bentancur and Timo Werner have increased the count of the number of injured players up to 8. 

The list of injured players includes Christian Romero, Ben Davies, Rodrigo Bentancur, Destiny Udogie, Micky van de Ven, Guglielmo Vicario, Wilson Odobert, and Timo Werner. Second-choice goalkeeper Fraser Forster had missed the last two matches due to illness and remains a doubt for tonight's derby as well.

Predicted Line-ups

Arsenal - David Raya, Thomas Partey, William Saliba, Gabriel, Miles Lewis-Kelly, Declan Rice, Martin Ødegaard (c), Mikel Merino, Gabriel Martinelli, Kai Havertz, Leandro Trossard.

Formation: 4-3-3.

Tottenham - Antonín Kinsky, Pedro Porro, Radu Drăgușin, Archie Gray, Djed Spence, Lucas Begvall, Yves Bissouma, James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, Dominik Solanke, Son Heung-min (c).

Formation: 4-3-3.