Arsenal will be aiming to clinch their first North London Derby victory of the campaign today as they take on Tottenham Hotspur at the Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners come into the game fresh off the back of an excellent week that has seen them defeat Burnley 1-0 in the Premier League, as well as bat aside AFC Wimbledon in Carabao Cup action.
After a win at Turf Moor, the north Londoners are up to 13th place in the table with a mouth-watering derby the Gunners’ next assignment. A victory against Tottenham could even see Mikel Arteta’s side leapfrog their rivals in the table on goal difference.
With that being said, here is the latest Arsenal team news and injury updates ahead of hosting Spurs at the Emirates Stadium.
Thomas Partey
Thomas Partey has struggled with a plethora of injury problems since joining from Atletico Madrid in October 2020.
The Ghanaian vice-captain missed the opening part of the current campaign after sustaining an ankle injury in a pre-season friendly against Chelsea before returning from the bench during the win against Norwich earlier this season.
Partey started the game against Burnley before he was eventually substituted for Ainsley Maitland-Niles in the second half, limping off the field. However, Arteta assured the fans that it was nothing serious.
In his pre-match press conference, Arteta assured he is in the “best possible state” he can be in and is available this weekend.
Kieran Tierney
Kieran Tierney is another core member of the first team that has often struggled to consistently stay fit during his two-year stint in north London.
The Scottish international has started all five of the Gunners’ Premier League fixtures so far this season, although he has been substituted in two of them, including at Turf Moor.
“Again he had a problem”, Arteta confirmed after the game. “I think he was cramping. The pitch was pretty difficult today it was quite long”.
The former Celtic defender has also been confirmed as fit to play against Tottenham.
Mohamed Elneny
Elneny missed the win against Sean Dyche’s side last weekend with a hamstring problem, having picked the injury up against Brentford in a friendly during the international break.
An update on Arsenal.com read: “Left hamstring. Mo has worked hard with the medical team after suffering a hamstring strain and is aiming to be back in full training next week.”
That aforementioned period has now surpassed and Elneny was included on the bench against Wimbledon last time out.
Granit Xhaka
The Swiss international is now back in contention having been serving a three-match suspension after receiving a straight red card for a dangerous challenge during the 5-0 loss against Manchester City last month.
Xhaka then tested positive for Covid-19 during the international break, causing him to miss Switzerland’s fixtures as he isolated in Basel.
Talking ahead of Sunday’s clash, Arteta said of Xhaka: “He came back and he was flying because he really looks after himself. He’s always training. As he always is he was giving the maximum and the best possible attitude to compete and win matches.”
Rob Holding
Rob Holding missed out on the trip to Burnley after suffering from a bruised right knee in training.
He has progressed his rehabilitation back into training and came through the clash with Wimbledon unscathed. He could be another to potentially feature against Spurs on Sunday.
Eddie Nketiah
Hale End graduate Eddie Nketiah now appears firmly back in full flow after recovering from his troublesome ankle issue.
The striker made his return for the Arsenal under-23s, whilst also managing to find the net against Wimbledon with a fantastic finish.
Credit: Football.London
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