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Arsenal vs Tottenham Hotspur: 14/03/2021 – match preview and predicted starting XIs

Date: 14/03/2021

K/O: 16:30

Venue: Emirates Stadium

Referee: Michael Oliver

TV: Sky Sports Main Event

The North London derby returns on Sunday afternoon with both teams experiencing a flurry of good results in recent matches.

The second half of the season as a whole has been much more productive for Arsenal than the first. The tightness of the Premier League this campaign can be epitomised by the fact that Arsenal have gone from being close to a relegation battle to a European contender in a relatively short space of time. Recent exploits have seen them beat Leicester, Leeds, Benfica and Olympiacos.

A moderate amount of fuss has been made about the arrangement of Thursday’s Europa League events. Both Arsenal and Spurs were due to play at home on the same day in the competition but to mitigate congestion in North London, Arsenal had to play their away leg instead. As a result, Arsenal fans have been left feeling hard done by as their team has had to take up some of their two-day recovery time to travel back from Greece. However, it’s said that playing second legs at home is often advantageous, so Tottenham drew the short straw in that respect.

Martin Odegaard bagged his first goal for the Gunners on Thursday. The 22-year-old has played a small selection of matches for Arsenal since he joined on a short loan from Real Madrid, and thankfully hasn’t taken long to make a statement. The Norwegian has looked a fascinating prospect already, with his creativity evident and much-needed in an Arsenal team who have failed to create significant opportunities this season.

Tottenham’s good fortunes do trump Arsenal’s, including their midweek European victory over Dinamo Zagreb. That 2-0 venture made it five wins on the bounce in all competitions for Spurs. The top four is looking a much more realistic prospect for Mourinho’s men, and the Europa League represents a different avenue through which Spurs might return to the Champions League. With the League Cup final just around the corner as well, things are indeed looking up again for the Lilywhites.

Tottenham shouldn’t get complacent ahead of this weekend’s match, however. Although the journey will be a short one, an away fixture signifies that things may not go smoothly and residual doubts will be in Mourinho’s mind. The 1-0 win at Craven Cottage was a significant one with Fulham playing well, but if not for Fulham’s equaliser being ruled out for a petty handball decision, Tottenham easily could have slipped to a defeat.

Gareth Bale’s form has taken a remarkable turn for the better in the last month or so. The Welshman is now Tottenham’s third top goalscorer and his sharp return to excellence has prompted debates about a permanent deal at the end of his one-year loan. Financial baggage could still be a blocker for any permanent deal, but perhaps an extension of the loan could be on the cards.

Team News

Arsenal

Arsenal’s starting lineup is looking healthy, with no notable injuries to report.

Tottenham Hotspur

Spurs are also looking fairly fresh, although Harry Kane was subjected to the ice pack treatment after being substituted in Thursday’s match. Kane has seemingly returned from worse this season, so the striker is expected to start. Elsewhere, Giovani Lo Celso is still building up fitness having been out since before Christmas.

Predicted Starting XIs

Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Leno; Tierney, Gabriel, Luiz, Cedric; Xhaka, Partey; Willian, Odegaard, Saka; Aubameyang

Tottenham Hotspur (4-2-3-1): Lloris; Reguilon, Alderweireld, Sanchez, Doherty; Hojbjerg, Ndombele; Son, Lucas, Bale; Kane

Score Prediction: Arsenal 1-2 Tottenham Hotspur 

By all accounts, Sunday’s North London derby is set to be a tightly contested event, with both teams finding form in recent games. However, the might of Son, Kane and Bale may just give Spurs the edge.

Harry Mahon

90maat's team correspondent for Tottenham Hotspur, graduate of Loughborough University and current student at the University of Surrey.

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