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Saka passed fit! Arsenal team news and predicted XI for north London derby at Tottenham

Charles Watts
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Bukayo Saka Arsenal 2022-23
The Gunners take on Tottenham on Sunday in the second north London derby of the season

Arsenal take on Spurs on Sunday looking to complete a league double over their local rivals for the first time in eight years.

The Gunners cruised to a 3-1 win against Antonio Conte’s side earlier in the season, but have failed to win on each of their last eight trips to Tottenham - a run dating back to March 2014.

So how are Mikel Arteta’s side shaping up ahead of Sunday’s contest? GOAL takes a look.

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  1. Arsenal team news
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    Arsenal team news

    Bukayo Saka is expected to be fit despite being forced off with 15 minutes remaining against Oxford United in the FA Cup.

    The Arsenal winger trained with the rest of the squad on Saturday and Mikel Arteta confirmed he should be fine to feature.

    Long-term absentee Gabriel Jesus remains sidelined as he continues his recovery from knee surgery, while Reiss Nelson (hamstring) is also still out.

    Cedric Soares (calf) is a doubt, but Emile Smith Rowe should make a Premier League squad for the first time in four months having made his return in the FA Cup at Oxford.

  2. Key man
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    Key man

    Bukayo Saka: Arsenal will fancy their chances of hurting Spurs down the flanks on Sunday and so Saka looks like being key once again. The winger is expected to be up against Ivan Perisic, who loves to get forward. So that should leave plenty of space for Saka to try to exploit behind him. If the Arsenal star can take advantage, then the visitors could be in for a good day.

  4. Talking point

    Talking point

    Arsenal’s behaviour has come under real scrutiny in recent weeks. Mikel Arteta has had his touchline manner heavily criticised, while the club has been charged for the conduct of its players following the games against Newcastle and Oxford United. Arsenal lost their heads in the north London derby at Spurs last season and paid the price, losing 3-0 after Rob Holding’s early red card. They can’t afford to let that happen this time around, so Arteta must ensure his team remains calm amid the cauldron-like atmosphere.

  5. What has Arteta said?
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    What has Arteta said?

    Speaking ahead of the game, Arteta said that his players should relish the challenge of putting previous poor results at Tottenham behind them. “We haven’t won there, so that’s the challenge that we have ahead of us,” said the Arsenal boss. “We’re going to have to focus on playing well and doing what we have to do to win the game. That’s the challenge that we have. We have to beat them at their place. That’s the way we have prepared the game.”

  7. Arsenal predicted XI
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    Arsenal predicted XI

    (4-3-3): Ramsdale; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Partey, Odegaard, Xhaka; Saka, Nketiah, Martinelli.