Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou will be hoping that one of his star players is fit for the derby.
Tottenham midfielder Yves Bissouma was on the first plane back to London after picking up a knock during Mali’s AFCON qualifier against Eswatini on Tuesday night. The Mali midfielder has already had a stop-start season, having been left out of the game against Leicester for disciplinary reasons after being caught inhaling nitrous oxide from balloons.
He was then brought back for the game against Everton and played in the defeat to Newcastle before the international break. LondonWorld has been told Bissouma is desperate to impress and returned to London immediately after the game to manage the pain and have the Spurs medical team assess him ahead of the Arsenal match.
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He scored the opening goal in the game before being forced off in the 65th minute following a heavy tackle. This has been a challenging week for Arsenal as well, as they have lost Captain Martin Ødegaard to an ankle injury. He also flew straight back to London to be assessed, with reports suggesting he will be out for at least three weeks.
The Gunners were already without Declan Rice, who was sent off against Brighton, leaving manager Mikel Arteta with more headaches.
Need for Consistency
Tottenham need to find consistency on the field, having been incredibly inconsistent in the first month of the league season. They face an Arsenal side that have won two and drawn one of their first three league games.
However, Spurs have experienced every possible outcome a football match can offer. They began the season with a draw at newly-promoted Leicester, followed by an emphatic victory over Everton, which was supposed to be a springboard. But a defeat to Newcastle means they go into the derby with their backs already against the wall.