90min

Arsenal predicted lineup vs Tottenham - Premier League

By Grey Whitebloom

Mikel Arteta played in nine north London derbies during his days as an Arsenal player
Mikel Arteta played in nine north London derbies during his days as an Arsenal player / David Rogers/GettyImages
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Arsenal welcome their fierce north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur to the Emirates Stadium on Saturday lunchtime.

The Gunners have lost just one of their last 29 Premier League north London derbies at home. In November 2010, Arsenal led 2-0 at half-time before Harry Redknapp's Spurs staged a dramatic comeback.

Here's the XI Mikel Arteta may deploy to avoid a repeat of that defeat.

1. Arsenal XI (4-3-3)

GK: Aaron Ramsdale - Arsenal's undisputed number one saw Nick Pope start both of England's matches during the international break in the absence of Jordan Pickford. Although the Newcastle keeper didn't cover himself in glory against Germany.

RB: Ben White - The day after White was part of the Newport County side that forced Tottenham to an FA Cup fourth-round replay in 2018, the defender had his driving test. The Newport-based instructor mentioned the historic result and - completely unrelated - gave him a pass.

CB: William Saliba - In stark contrast to his club form, Saliba was hooked off at half-time during France's defeat to Denmark last Sunday.

CB: Gabriel - The 24-year-old racked up more minutes than any other Arsenal player last season and is yet to miss a second this term.

LB: Oleksandr Zinchenko - After sitting out three of Arsenal's last four matches with injury, Zinchenko is expected to be available once again after the pause he was afforded by the international break.

CM: Martin Odegaard - Norway and Arsenal's captain has gone more than 30 hours for club and country without registering an assist.

CM: Thomas Partey - Despite returning to London ahead of schedule from international duty, Partey's fitness concerns were underplayed by Ghana's manager Otto Addo who didn't want to take risk him for a friendly. The north London derby is anything but friendly and Arteta may be inclined to take the gamble.

CM: Granit Xhaka - The combative Swiss midfielder has received seven yellow cards in his last 11 appearances against Spurs but is - somewhat shockingly - yet to get sent off in the derby.

RW: Bukayo Saka - The last time Saka scored and provided an assist in the same game at the Emirates was against Spurs in September 2021.

ST: Gabriel Jesus - Arsenal's new number nine leads the league for touches in the penalty box (68), progressive passes received (71) and dribbles (16), providing an insight into the wriggling nuisance he causes opposition defences.

LW: Gabriel Martinelli - Only two players - Kevin De Bruyne and Mohamed Salah - have created more chances than Martinelli in the Premier League this season (17), but the Brazilian is yet to record a top-flight assist.

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