Premier League legend Alan Shearer has admitted that Arsenal’s injury issues have narrowed the gap with Tottenham ahead of the north London derby on Sunday.
Mikel Arteta’s side are sitting fourth in the table on seven points after three games but are still top contenders for the Premier League title this season.
Arsenal are preparing for the the first north London derby of the season on Sunday when they will visit the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this weekend.
Tottenham have just won one of their opening three games but Arsenal are going into the big derby with several headaches due to injuries and suspensions.
Tough for Arsenal without Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice in the derby
Shearer admitted that the north London derby is going to be a hugely consequential game and he is expecting to watch a tough game with tackles flying in.
However, he conceded that Arsenal are going to be weaker without Rice and Odegaard and it does narrow the gap between the two north London sides for the big game.
The former striker stressed that Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou will be hoping that Dominic Solanke gets going and the forward line also clicks into gear by taking their chances.
“The North London derby is a huge one in the Premier League. Derby games are great to play in because you can get away with a little bit more, the referees are a little more lenient, and they understand what it means to coaches, players and fans”, Shearer wrote for Betfair in the Metro.
“If of course, Martin Odegaard is ruled that’s bad news for Arsenal but very good for Tottenham because Odegaard and Rice are two of Arsenal’s big hitters so to go into a game of this size without them, it would be tough for Arsenal.
“Hopefully Dominic Solanke is deemed fit for this one, because what a great way to introduce himself to the Tottenham fans if he could make the difference in his first derby game, to make a huge statement in a game of this size.
“They key to this game for me is will Spurs improve in forward positions. It’s something Ange Postecoglou will want to work on in terms of having more killer instinct when they do have the ball because on the evidence I saw, they’ll have to improve massively.
“These games are always really tight, and with the potential injury news for Arsenal, there may not be a lot between the two teams, so I’m tempted to go for a score-draw in this one.”
Arenal will hope that Arteta’s new contract will give his side a boost ahead of the north London derby.
