Tottenham Hotspur vs Arsenal: Premier League – Team News, Starts, Recaps | Soccer News

WHO: Tottenham Hotspur v Arsenal
What: English Premier League
Where: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, United Kingdom
When: Sunday 22 February at 16:30 (16:30 GMT)
How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sports from 13:30 GMT ahead of our live text commentary stream.

Arsenal will look to banish their untimely bout of title race anxiety as the teetering Premier League leaders head to bitter rivals Tottenham for the north London derby.

Mikel Arteta’s men are in danger of blowing a commanding position in the title race after successive draws against Brentford and Wolves left them with just two wins in their last seven league games.

The Gunners squandered the lead in both games, with Wednesday’s 2-2 draw at bottom-of-the-table Wolves particularly bad for conceding a stoppage-time equalizer after leading 2-0.

Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City side will move two points behind Arsenal if they beat Newcastle at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.

Meanwhile, new Tottenham boss Igor Tudor faces a baptism of fire in his first game in charge of the club as he is tasked with steering Spurs out of a relegation battle.

Thomas Frank was sacked as Tottenham manager Defeat against Newcastle earlier in February left Spurs in 16th place, just five points above the relegation zone, as a terrible domestic campaign.

Saka urges Arsenal to ‘get over the line’

On February 7, Arsenal players walked off the pitch after a convincing 3-0 home win against Sunderland with their Premier League lead at nine points. Then things started to go wrong.

Defiant Arsenal forward Bukayo Saka is determined his side will finally “get over the line” and end their trophy drought.

After allowing City to overhaul them in the 2023 and 2024 title races, the north Londoners, who have not won silverware since the FA Cup in 2020, have raised questions about their ability to handle the mounting pressure.

Saka said Arsenal must silence the doubters by getting back on track at arch-rivals Tottenham on Sunday.

“I believe the next few years are going to be the years we get over the line, and we can win trophies and make history for this club,” said Saka. “We are back where we belong and fight for everything.”

Arteta rejects ‘bottlers’ talk

Arsenal’s boss rejected the term “bottlers” ahead of Sunday’s Premier League visit to Tottenham Hotspur.

“It’s not part of my vocabulary and I don’t see it that way because I don’t think anyone wants to do it as an intention,” Arteta told reporters on Friday when asked about the term being used in relation to their latest swing in the title race.

“It’s individual opinion, perspective. You have to respect that. That’s what I said afterwards in the press conference. You lose two points against Wolves the way the game played out, you have to take it on the chin.

“What I am very interested in is the next one, what we are made of, what we like about this and how we write our own destiny from here.”

‘No time to make excuses’

Tottenham Hotspur’s new interim head coach Tudor says instilling confidence in the players is his most pressing task.

“First priority is to give everything the team needs in these moments. The team must, I believe, first of all get some confidence, get some courage, but also, in the same way, the concrete things on the field,” Tudor told Spursplay.

“Of course I come here knowing that the situation is not easy. There is no time to find excuses. What I said from the first day here, each of us must give something more, something extra.”

He added: “The position of the club at this moment is one that no one can accept. Every Tottenham fan cannot accept the situation. We are aware of it. But it is not enough just to be aware of it.”

Tudor wants a team willing to ‘suffer’

While Tudor is aware of the importance of a derby win over Arsenal, he is more concerned with building a strong team spirit to help fuel their survival bid.

“I understand the importance of this game. It’s a derby, a north London derby,” he said.

“This is a team that is full of quality, full of talented players, with good car engines. But my aim in these first training sessions is for us to become a team, with a really real way to go to war.

“A team that wants to suffer. To fight, to run, to have the right mentality. This is the beginning.”

Head-to-head

Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal have locked horns on 212 occasions; Arsenal have won 90 of the games, while Spurs have won 67 and drawn 55.

Arsenal are now unbeaten against Spurs in their last seven matches. Earlier this season, Eberechi Eze scored a hat-trick as the Gunners beat Tottenham 4-1 at the Emirates in November.

Arteta’s side also did the double over their bitter local rivals in 2024-25, winning 1-0 against Tottenham and securing a 2-1 win at home.

Tottenham’s team news

Spurs were dealt a major blow when promising young winger Wilson Odobert ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament against Newcastle.

He joins a long injury list of players who will miss the derby, including James Maddison, Ben Davies, Dejan Kulusevski, Rodrigo Bentancur, Mohammed Kudus, Destiny Udogie, Kevin Danso and Lucas Bergvall.

Cristian Romero will serve the second of his four-match ban after the Spurs captain was sent off defeat against Man United earlier this month.

Brazilian forward Richarlison is back in training after a knock and could be available for selection, while Pedro Porro faces a late fitness test as he looks to return from injury.

Predicted starting XI:

Vicar (GK); Palhinha, Dragusin, Van de Ven; Gray, Gallagher, Sarr, Spence; Kolo Muani, Simons; As long as

Arsenal’s team news

Versatile midfielder Mikel Merino has undergone surgery for a stress fracture in his right foot, an injury sustained in January, and could miss the rest of the season.

Leandro Trossard is a serious doubt for the derby after coming off injured at half-time against the Wolves.

But Arteya said he hoped to have captain Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz available for selection after struggling with injuries, and youngster Max Dowman returned to training after an ankle problem.

And while Saka also limped off against Wolves, he is expected to be declared fit for this game.

Predicted starting XI:

Stripe (GK); Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Hincapie; Odegaard, Zubimendi, Rice; Saka, Jesus, Martinelli