Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou has no sympathy for Arsenal and their injury worries as he prepares his depleted squad for tomorrow’s night’s North London derby.
Spurs have struggled for bodies for much of the season and will again be without three quarters of their first-choice back four with Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven and Destiny Odogie sidelined, along with goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, Ben Davies and Rodrigo Bentancur.
Arsenal also have several worries but Postecoglou is not concerned by anyone else’s problems.
He said: “I don’t think they have sympathy for us. I have empathy not sympathy.
“We’ve been in this position for a while now. There’s some light at the end of the tunnel.”
Team news from Ange ahead of tomorrow night’s North London Derby 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/a7uepXNHC1
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) January 14, 2025
Twelfth-placed Spurs have won just one of their last eight league games and Postecoglou would love to kickstart their season with victory against their bitter rivals.
The Australian added: “I have been big on it [the rivalry] from the first game and this year is as big as they ever come, especially for us and our season.
“We need to start winning games in the league and there is no better place to start.
“With the position we are in in the league at the moment, irrespective of turning points, we need to start winning games and moving up the table. Whilst it is a massive challenge for us tomorrow night, there is an opportunity for us to do that.”
Arsenal come in on the back of two disappointing cup results with last Tuesday’s EFL Cup setback to Newcastle followed by Sunday’s penalty shoot-out defeat to Manchester United in the FA Cup.
Boss Mikel Arteta hinted a derby game is exactly what his players need to get back on track.
He said: “It is the nicest game of the season to watch and play because of the atmosphere and what it means to the people – us and everyone that is involved.
“The atmosphere is something the fans can help with and something we can do by giving them something to feed off.”
Arsenal v Tottenham team news
Arsenal striker Gabriel Jesus suffered a suspected ruptured ACL at the weekend and is set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines, alongside Ethan Nwaneri, Bukayo Saka and Ben White.
Riccardo Calafiori is a doubt but Jorginho and Jurrien Timber are expected to be fit.
There was some rare good news for Postecoglou after he confirmed Richarlison is back in contention and the Brazil striker is likely to start on the bench.
Dejan Kulusevski, Dominic Solanke and Son Heung-min should return to the starting line-up having been left out for the FA Cup tie at Tamworth on Sunday.
Timo Werner is not available.
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Arsenal v Tottenham expected line-ups:
Arsenal: Raya; Timber, Gabriel, Saliba, Lewis-Skelly; Odegaard, Rice, Partey; Sterling, Havertz, Martinelli
Tottenham: Kinsky; Pedro Porro, Dragusin, Gray, Spence; Bissouma, Bergvall, Sarr; Kulusevski, Son, Solanke
How to watch Arsenal v Tottenham
The game is being screened on TNT Sports 1 with the programme starting at 6.30pm. Kick-off is at 8pm.