The final international break of 2025 is over and done with and now it is foot to the floor until March as club football returns. Arsenal will be looking to continue their great start to the season when they welcome Tottenham to the Emirates Stadium for the first North London derby of the season.
The Gunners’ ten-game winning streak in all competitions came to an end in the final matchday before the international period as they drew 2-2 with surprise package Sunderland, but they remain four points ahead of main challengers Manchester City at the top of the Premier League going into the weekend. Tottenham started the season well under Thomas Frank too, nested towards the top of the table in fifth place on 18 points and are currently the only unbeaten side away from home in the league with four wins and a draw.
Banged Up
Both sides have been hit with numerous injury issues in the opening months of the campaign, with the latest setback for Mikel Arteta’s men coming in the form of confirmation that talisman Gabriel will be “out for weeks” after the defender picked up a thigh injury whilst on international duty with Brazil. Riccardo Calafiori was allowed to return to the Gunners from the Italy camp after a hip injury kept him out from playing their final World Cup qualifiers.
Attacking options Martin Odegaard, Noni Madueke, Kai Havertz, Gabriel Martinelli, and Viktor Gyokeres have all been longer-term absentees who did not go on international break with their respective nations.
When asked about the possibility of them being involved, Arteta said: “We’ve put in a lot of energy during the international break, with all the medical staff as well, to try to bring them as quickly as possible.
“We have another training session, see how some of them are feeling, whether it’s a bit too close for this game, or we feel that they can make a contribution in the game.”
Frank’s First Derby in White
Frank’s first match as a Premier League manager was against Arteta and Arsenal in a 2-0 win with former side Brentford in August 2021 but enters his first North London derby as Spurs head coach winless ever since, drawing twice and losing five times in the subsequent seven encounters. A narrow pre-season win in Hong Kong against the club’s arch rivals will give them some hope, though.
The Dane has had his own injury concerns to contend with, with problems sustained by Randal Kolo Muani, who fractured his jaw during Spurs’ 2-2 draw with Manchester United prior to the international break, and Lucas Bergvall, who had to drop out of the Sweden squad as a result of further concussion issues.
Frank confirmed the duo alongside Pape Mate Sarr have trained and are available to face the Gunners, but long-term absentee Dominic Solanke remains out. With a first derby in charge looming, the 52-year-old understands the importance placed on this fixture and is adamant his side are ready for the fight.
“Before I stepped into the club I knew about the North London derby. But it’s when you’re in it, you sense it and feel that this is important,” Frank said. “You feel it from the fans, you feel it from the staff members, the players, the people that have been working here for years. This is the big one.
“I’m very aware there’s two games in a year that’s even more important and this is the first of them. We’re ready, we’re up for it, we’re looking forward to it and we’ll do everything we can to win.”
Form Favors Gunners
Arsenal have won five of their last six Premier League games against Tottenham, including the last three in a row. It’s their longest winning run against Spurs since a five-game stretch between January 1987 and January 1989.
