The latest injury news ahead of the first north London derby of the season with Spurs hosting Arsenal.
Tottenham lost to Newcastle before the international break, and having suffered defeat in both north London derbies last season, Ange Postecoglou will be hoping his season finally takes off when Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal visit this Sunday.
There are a few things to look forward to, with Postecoglou confirming before the break that striker Dominic Solanke would be available after the international break. The English forward twisted his ankle on his debut against Leicester and missed the games against Everton and Newcastle.
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When asked about Solanke’s return, the Spurs manager said: "Dom Solanke is close, but we'll err on the side of caution. He won't play this weekend with the international break coming up; we've decided to wait until after that."
His return strengthens the Lilywhites, who are desperate for a win that would land a blow to Arsenal. Mikel Arteta is already without midfield maestro Declan Rice, who was sent off in the game against Brighton.
Rice's absence means Arteta will have to readjust his team, with the experienced Jorginho likely to step in. However, there’s more concern for Arteta, who is hoping that his captain Martin Ødegaard’s injury isn’t serious. The Norwegian is flying back to London for medical evaluation.
The Norway team doctor confirmed the injury, though he left the door open for a potential long-term issue. He said: “Martin is doing quite well now. He got a small ankle sprain. We will see throughout the evening and tomorrow what happens next and what we will do about it.”
Adding to Arsenal’s woes, they are also sweating over the fitness of Riccardo Calafiori, who picked up a knock against France and will be assessed later this week. Then there’s Mikel Merino, who would have been a perfect replacement for Ødegaard after signing from Betis this summer, but he’s also ruled out and won’t be involved at least until October.