Arsenal will be eager to return to winning ways when they lock horns with Tottenham Hotspur at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday evening. Mikel Arteta has received positive updates on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Martin Odegaard (knee) and Kai Havertz (hamstring) have stepped up their recoveries, and the duo may be fit and available to take on Tottenham this weekend. However, Mikel Merino (foot) remains in the treatment room for the foreseeable future.
Max Dowman is the other absentee, but the youngster is closing in on returning from an ankle injury. Meanwhile, during his pre-match press conference, Arteta provided fitness updates on Odegaard and Havertz.
The Arsenal manager said, “Well, we have to wait until tomorrow, but there is a big possibility that they are available for the game. Bukayo’s news [new contract], obviously, is great, he’s one of our own. We are very happy that the players are feeling in such a strong way about the club.”
“We’ve got him here since he was very, very little. For him to make that decision and the club to be so aligned with him, I think that’s a really positive thing. We can [field both Havertz and Saka]; it depends as well on the availability of the players in terms of the load we can absorb.”
“Bukayo was okay to start the game [against Wolves] but we knew that he could not finish the game so we had to get him out. He was going to start to cramp or take a risk with the previous injury and we didn’t want to do that. So, depending on the state of the players, how much we can use them.”
David Raya is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Arsenal lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him against Tottenham on Sunday. The backline will feature Jurrien Timber, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, and Riccardo Calafiori, with the latter replacing Piero Hincapie as the left-back.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Martin Zubimendi and Declan Rice in the double pivot. Kai Havertz will reprise the no. 10 role if he is fit and available, with Bukayo Saka shifting to the right flank. Finally, Viktor Gyokeres will lead the line for the away side against Tottenham, with Leandro Trossard featuring on the left flank.
Predicted Arsenal XI: Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori; Zubimendi, Rice; Saka, Havertz, Trossard; Gyokeres
