Tottenham Hotspur are hoping to have Giovani Lo Celso back in the mix for the North London derby on Sunday, but their remaining trio of injury absentees, Rodrigo Bentancur, Ryan Sessegnon and Bryan Gil, will remain sidelined here.
Other than that quartet, Spurs do not have any other fitness concerns ahead of this clash.
North London Derby FYIs
Kickoff: Sun. Sept. 24, 2pm, Emirates Stadium, Manchester, UK
Starting XI Predictions Arsenal Tottenham Hotspur
Team News: Arsenal Tottenham Hotspur
PL Form: Arsenal WWDWW Tottenham Hotspur WWWWD
PL Standing: Arsenal 4th, 13 pts Tottenham Hotspur 2nd, 13 pts
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
Google Result Probability: Arsenal 56% Draw 22% Tottenham Hotspur 22%
As for Arsenal, we’ll cover their fitness situation in a separate post later, as we’ll see what happens in their UEFA Champions League group stage clash versus PSV Eindhoven later tonight. Perhaps the Gunners will emerge unscathed on the injury front.
No matter what happens, Spurs will enter this match with an advantage on their arch-rivals, in terms of rest.
Tottenham have no European football of which to speak of this season, and with UEFA competition kicking off this midweek, the next weekend brings the first opportunity to see if the fresher legs will pay off for them.
This is certainly as big a North London derby as we’ve seen in quite awhile, so expect plenty more preview material to come.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now. Follow the website on Twitter and Instagram.