Who: Tottenham Hotspur vs Arsenal
Content: English Premier League
Location: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, England
Date and time: Sunday 22nd February, 4:30pm (16:30 GMT)
How to follow: Get everything ready on Al Jazeera Sports from 13:30 GMT ahead of the live text commentary stream.
Arsenal will be hoping to eliminate any untimely uncertainty in the title race as their shaky Premier League leaders take on rivals Tottenham in a north London derby.
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Mikel Arteta’s side are in danger of losing their dominant position in the title race after a draw against Brentford and just two wins from their last seven league games against Wolves.
The Gunners took the lead in both games, but Wednesday’s 2-2 draw with bottom-placed Wolves was particularly painful as they conceded an equalizer in stoppage time when they were leading 2-0.
Josep Guardiola’s Manchester City will move two points clear of Arsenal if they defeat Newcastle at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Tottenham’s new manager Igor Tudor faces a baptism of fire in his first game in charge as he is tasked with pulling Spurs out of the relegation battle.
Thomas Frank was sacked as Tottenham manager following the team’s defeat to Newcastle in early February. A disastrous domestic campaign meant Spurs entered the weekend in 16th place, just five points above the relegation zone.
Saka urges Arsenal to ‘cross the line’
On February 7, Arsenal’s players left the field after a comfortable 3-0 home victory over Sunderland, increasing their lead in the Premier League to nine points. Then things started going wrong.
Defiant Arsenal forward Bukayo Saka is adamant his team will eventually “get over the line” and end their trophy drought.
After allowing City to overhaul their squad in the 2023 and 2024 title races, the north Londoners, who have not won a silver medal since the 2020 FA Cup, face tough questions about their ability to deal with rising tensions.
Saka said Arsenal must silence doubters by getting back on track against arch-rivals Tottenham on Sunday.
“I believe that the next few years will be the years where we can get over the line, win trophies and make history for this club,” Saka said. “We are back where we belong and fighting for everything.”
Arteta dismisses ‘bottler’ talk
Arsenal’s manager has rejected the term ‘bottlers’ ahead of Sunday’s game against Tottenham Hotspur.
“It’s not part of my vocabulary and I don’t think of it that way,” Arteta told reporters on Friday when asked about the terminology being used regarding the recent wobble in the title race.
“It’s a personal opinion, a point of view. You have to respect that. That’s what I said after the press conference. If we lose two points against Wolves in the way the game played out, we have to take it on the chin. That’s part of our role.”
“What I’m really interested in are these themes: what are we made of, what do we like about this work, and how do we chart our own destiny from here?”
“I don’t have time to look for excuses.”
Tottenham Hotspur’s new interim head coach, Tudor, says his most urgent task is to instill confidence in his players.
“The priority is to give the team everything it needs at this moment. I think the team needs to gain confidence and courage first of all, but they also need concrete things on the pitch as well,” Tudor told Spurs Play.
“Of course, I come here knowing that the situation is not easy. There is no time to find excuses. What I have said from the first day here is that each of us needs to give something more, something special.”
He added: “The club’s position at the moment is unacceptable to everyone. This situation is unacceptable to all Tottenham fans. We know that. But just recognizing that is not enough.”
Tudor wants team ready to ‘suffer’
Tudor recognizes the importance of the derby win against Arsenal, but is more concerned with building a strong team spirit to boost their drive for survival.
“We understand the importance of this game. It’s a derby, a north London derby,” he said.
“This team has high quality, talented players and a good motor engine. But my goal from this first training session is that we are a team that really has the right fighting style.”
“A team that wants to suffer. Fight, run, have the right mentality. This is the start.”
direct confrontation
Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal have honked their horns 212 times. Arsenal won 90 games, Spurs won 67 and 55 were draws.
Arsenal are unbeaten in their last seven games against Spurs. At the beginning of this season, Ebelesi Eze scored a hat-trick as the Gunners beat Tottenham 4-1 at the Emirates in November.
Arteta’s side also scored twice against their local rivals in 2024-25, defeating Tottenham 1-0 and winning 2-1 at home.
tottenham team news
Spurs suffered a major blow when promising young winger Wilson Odbert ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament against Newcastle.
He joins a long injured list of players who will miss the derby, including James Maddison, Ben Davis, Dejan Kulusevski, Rodrigo Bentancur, Mohamed Kudus, Destiny Oudogui, Kevin Danso and Lucas Bergvall.
Cristian Romero is facing the second of a four-match ban after the Spurs captain was sent off against Man United earlier this month.
Brazilian forward Richarlison has returned to training after a knock and could be considered for selection, while Pedro Polo faces a late fitness test as he attempts to return from injury.
Expected starting lineup:
Vicario (GK); Parinha, Dragusin, Van de Ven. Gray, Gallagher, Searle, Spence. Kolo Muani, Simmons. Solanke
arsenal team news
Versatile midfielder Mikel Merino has undergone surgery for a stress fracture in his right foot suffered in January and could miss the rest of the season.
Leandro Trossard was forced off with an injury in stoppage time against Wolves, so his participation in the derby is in doubt.
However, Alteja has said he wants injured captain Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz available for selection, while youngster Max Domann has returned to training after suffering an ankle problem.
And Saka also limped off against Wolves but is expected to be declared fit for the game.
Expected starting lineup:
Raya (GK); Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Hincapie. Odegaard, Zvimendi, Reis. Saka, Jesus, Martinelli
