The first north London derby of the season takes place later today at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with Spurs and Arsenal both looking to earn three points and bragging rights against their fierce rivals.
After the international break, Spurs and Arsenal are straight back into the thick of it with the two rivals going head to head in a huge clash in the Premier League. Arsenal have won two and drew one of their opening three games of the season, while Spurs have picked up four points, winning one, drawing one, and most recently, losing one.
Declan Rice was sent off in Arsenal’s 1-1 draw with Brighton and Hove Albion in the Gunners’ last outing, and after Martin Odegaard picked up an injury on international duty, Mikel Arteta has been left with few midfield options. As for Spurs, Dominic Solanke has returned from injury, meaning the striker is fit for the clash later today.
So, what could happen in the first north London derby of the season? Let’s take a look.
We simulated Tottenham vs Arsenal to get a score prediction
To complete this simulation, we used EA FC 24 and updated the squads with the latest injuries and suspensions, however as we’re still using EA FC 24, the kits are from last season, and squad numbers may not be accurate.
We predict that Tottenham could line up in a 4-3-3 formation, with their starting XI as follows: Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Sarr, Bentancur, Maddison; Kulusevski, Solanke, Son.
We predict that Arsenal could set up in a 4-3-3 formation, with their line-up as follows: Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Timber; Jorginho, Partey, Havertz; Saka, Jesus, Martinelli.
Nothing could split the two sides in the first half in north London, but it was a feisty affair, with seven yellow cards given out in the opening 45 minutes. Arsenal were on top at the beginning of the second half, and they took advantage of a period of domination when Gabriel Jesus fired them in front.
Deputising in midfield, Kai Havertz did fantastic to skip past Pape Sarr in midfield before slipping a pass into the box for Jesus to latch on to. The Brazilian sized up Micky Van de Ven before dribbling around the defender, and a smart finish saw him fire home at the near post to make it 1-0.
With nine minutes to go, Spurs’ Cristian Romero hacked down Gabriel Martinelli inside the box with a late sliding challenge, resulting in a penalty for the Gunners and a second yellow card for the defender. Bukayo Saka stepped up to take the resulting spot kick, and he sent Guglielmo Vicario the wrong way to double Arsenal’s lead late on.
A man down, Spurs failed to create any late chances to try and muster up a comeback, with Arsenal claiming a huge win on the road against their biggest rivals.
EA FC 24 predicted final score: Tottenham 0-2 Arsenal
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