Arsenal face Spurs in walking wounded derby with hopes pinned on Newcastle for favour
We’re back, and once again the fixture computer has given us all a treat to make up for two weeks with absolutely no Barclays to sustain us, a fortnight in which we’ve had to make do with nothing more than a series of astonishing international matches with astonishing late drama.
For being so good during the last fortnight, we get to enjoy the first North London Derby of the season. It’s a fixture that usually delivers some kind of nonsense, and we’ve run the numbers and think there are just about enough players left available in the two INJURY-RAVAGED squads to get a game on.
It’s the headline act of the weekend, but far from the only treat in store.
Game to watch: Arsenal v Tottenham
Lovely slice of proper Super Sunday to get us back into the Barclays swing after an astonishing international break that was pleasantly dull if you’re English and wildly, absurdly exciting if you’re from just about anywhere else.
It might have been an interlull to restore your faith in the international game, but what it’s not done is restore either of the North London pair’s squads to anything like their full power.
Both teams will, if anything, be missing even more players than they were before the break. Which was already a lot. That’s probably a bigger problem for Spurs, who lack Arsenal’s initial depth and are also – and you will have to excuse us getting so technical so early – less good at football generally.
At a quick count and with the usual licence applied to what constitutes a ‘first-team’ absence and indeed ‘major doubt’, we’ve got to 21 names who are either definitely out or doubtful.
Almost quicker to run through the ones who aren’t injured, but we’ll stick with the usual approach.
The players missing or doubtful for this one are Gabriel Magalhaes, Riccardo Calafiori, Jurrien Timber, Kai Havertz, Viktor Gyokeres, Martin Odegaard, Noni Madueke, Gabriel Martinellil, Gabriel Jesus, Mohammed Kudus, Lucas Bergvall, Pape Sarr, Dominic Solanke, Randal Kolo Muani, Archie Gray, Radu Dragusin, Dejan Kulusevski, Kota Takai, Ben Davies, Yves Bissouma and James Maddison.
At least it provides whoever loses a ready-made excuse; you just have to carefully ignore the injury ravages faced by the other lot. Which is pretty easily done – football fans are absolute experts at this kind of compartmentalisation.
It’s a shame, though, because the first NLD of the season does arrive at a fascinating point. Both Spurs and Arsenal have had two weeks to stew on frustrating games before the break in which they went 1-0 down and 2-1 up before conceding last-gasp equalisers.
It also pitches the best home record in the country – on a points-per-game basis if not absolute points – against the best away record. Arsenal have four wins and a draw from five home games including Manchester City; Spurs have four wins and a draw from five away games including Manchester City.
Arsenal will be looking to reassert the control they’d taken of the Premier League before allowing City to trim their lead by a couple of points, while for Spurs… well, we really would just like to know whether or not they’re any good.
Up to now their away form has suggested they definitely are, but their home form says definitely not. Their season surely hinges on which of the two has been the more misleading thus far, and it does rather feel like the likelihood is that the away form is flattering more than the home form is deceiving.
But if they remain unbeaten by Sunday evening having ticked off trips to both City and Arsenal, we might have to reconsider. Until they lose at home to Fulham next weekend, of course.
Player to watch: Alejandro Garnacho
Others may have more dramatically highlighted the fact that leaving Manchester United is just simply good for the soul, but there have been some encouraging signs in recent weeks that Garnacho might well join your McTominays and Rashfords and Antonys in proving the point decisively.
He’s got two goals and two assists across his last four appearances for Chelsea and it is easy to forget just how young he is. Not yet 22, he will become the youngest South American to make 100 Premier League appearances should he play some part for Chelsea at Burnley in Saturday’s lunchtime kick-off.
It’s a big game for Chelsea too; with both Arsenal and Man City facing tricky-looking games, the fact Enzo Maresca’s side has first-mover’s advantage as the first team back in post-lull action gives them the chance to thoroughly insert themselves into the title-race picture ahead of the big games on Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon.
Team to watch: Manchester City
While the North London Derby is the weekend’s clear standout fixture, the context in which it’s played will depend much on what’s happened at St James’ Park the day before.
Arsenal fans will have felt a familiar feeling when watching City so imperiously pounce on their minor slip just before the international break, and if City go to Newcastle and win on Saturday evening there is suddenly only a point in it ahead of Arsenal’s walking wounded taking on their local rivals.
There is definitely a sense of something around City at the moment. The lethargy – apathy, even – as their title defence and Champions League chances evaporated last season has gone and the new laser focus on harnessing the awesome power of Erling Haaland is reaping rich rewards.
Liverpool and Arsenal have both already gone to Newcastle and won but have had to strain every sinew to do so. It would be no great surprise were City to find it slightly easier with Newcastle currently on the back foot after a couple of damaging and meek away defeats in London at West Ham and Brentford before the break.
Having already had Liverpool and Arsenal come to visit, they could have done with literally anyone else rocking up now – Alan Shearer is certainly worried – but there is clearly a huge chance there for a confident, in-form City to strike a significant blow on not one but two wounded opponents this weekend.
Manager to watch: Daniel Farke
Survived the international break, but how much longer does the Leeds manager have? Does feel like it’s simply a matter of time as he begins a brutal run of fixtures between now and Christmas.
Farke’s misfortune is two-fold here; he knew he’d been left short in the summer, he said he needed more players that he didn’t get. And that very fact that has snookered him in the first five months of the season now puts him under even greater pressure, because Leeds must now also decide which manager they’re buying players for in January. And it really doesn’t feel like that will be Farke.
Sunday’s visit of Aston Villa is followed by games against Man City, Chelsea and Liverpool before the first week of December is out.
If the league table suggests that your easiest game on paper in a four-game run is against Liverpool, you’re already in trouble even if you haven’t also lost four of your last five games.
Farke needs something and soon. The problem is that the ‘something’ he needs might just be a miracle.
Football League game to watch: Sheffield Wednesday v Sheffield United
The first Steel City derby of the season takes place with both clubs marooned in the bottom three and desperately searching for signs of positivity. United have turned back to Chris Wilder, Wednesday have at least and at last taken the first steps out of the misery of the Chansiri ownership.
There hasn’t been a notable uptick in on-field results for either team as a result, but even in the most forlorn of situations a win over local rivals always warms the heart. So it’ll probably be a 0-0 draw.
European game to watch: Inter v Milan
And continuing the local-derby theme, it’s the Milan derby. Slightly different vibe to the Sheffield one here, with both these teams in the top rather than bottom three of Serie A rather than the Championship.
Inter currently lead the way, but Milan could be top of the pile at the end of the weekend if they can take the bragging rights here and Roma fail to beat Cremonese.
