Tottenham hosts Arsenal in the North London Derby this weekend in the Premier League. The high-voltage clash is set to have some issues this time around, with 13 players expected to miss out.
North London Derby Hit by 13 Player Absences in Latest Update
Mikel Arteta will be without just two players for the Premier League game at Tottenham this weekend. But it is not all bad news, as Kai Havertz, Martin Ødegaard, Bukayo Saka, and Leandro Trossard are expected to be back.
Mikel Merino underwent surgery this month following a fractured foot and is out for at least three months. The Spaniard is expected back before the end of the season and is unlikely to miss the FIFA World Cup if he makes the Spain squad.
The other Arsenal absentee is Max Dowman, who is dealing with an ankle injury. He is expected to rejoin training in the next two weeks.
While Arsenal’s injury list is limited, Tottenham interim manager Igor Tudor has not yet managed to field his entire squad. As many as 11 players are out of the North London Derby, and he revealed that only 13 players have trained since he arrived at the club this week. He said:
“Very particular moment, as you know, this very rare situation that you find with 10 players injured, with big injuries also. We made training with 13 players. Probably no [for injury returns vs Arsenal]. Dominic Solanke had some problems with his throat, but he made today some training. So, all others, probably someone next week.”
James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski are out with knee injuries and have not played this season. They remain unavailable, though they are edging closer to making a return to the pitch.
Wilson Odobert has an ACL injury and is out for the season, while Pedro Porro has not trained. Rodrigo Bentancur is also on the sidelines with a hamstring injury. Cristian Romero is suspended following his red card against Manchester United. He will be back in mid-March for their trip to Liverpool.
Destiny Udogie and Ben Davies are out injured, as is Kevin Danso with a toe injury. Danso’s issue is expected to keep him out for the next three weeks.
Mohammed Kudus and Lucas Bergvall are the final duo ruled out of the North London Derby this week. They are also expected back in March, which could boost Tottenham’s chances of making a late push further up the table amid relegation fears.
