Mesut Ozil and Dele Alli could both feature for the first time this season as both Arsenal and Spurs gear up for the first North London derby of 2019-20. The two local rivals square off this weekend with both hoping to bounce back from defeats last time out after the Gunners went down 3-1 at Liverpool and Spurs were surprisingly beaten 1-0 at home by Newcastle.
Ozil, who has been linked with an exit this summer, is available to Arsenal head coach Unai Emery for the first time this season following some recent unsavoury security concerns, but Hector Bellerin and Kieran Tierney will not return to full training until mid-September and remain on the sidelines.
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The derby showdown also comes too soon for Rob Holding to return but Emery could make changes after his side were routinely dispatched by the Reds last weekend.
Record signing Nicolas Pepe made his first start of the season at Anfield and did impress, despite missing a few good chances, so should keep his place, while Lucas Torreira stood out when he came off the bench on Merseyside. The midfielder scored Arsenal’s consolation and will hope to be rewarded with a starting role on Sunday, possibly at the expense of Dani Ceballos.
Elsewhere, Sead Kolasinac, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Alexander Lacazette are all among those hoping for recalls as the Gunners look for another home Premier League win over their arch rivals, having beaten Mauricio Pochettino’s men in the past two seasons at the Emirates.
Pochettino, meanwhile, is expected to have Alli back in his squad after a hamstring injury has kept him out of the early weeks of the season. Alli’s timely availability comes after Spurs were unexpectedly shot down by the Magpies last weekend and have flattered to deceive so far.
The Newcastle setback came after a late opening-weekend win over newly-promoted Aston Villa, while a 2-2 draw on paper at champions Manchester City appears to be a good result but the draw was a somewhat fortunate outcome after they were clearly second best for long periods at the Etihad.
England man Alli will vie for a start alongside Harry Winks, Moussa Sissoko or Erik Lamela centrally as Pochettino has licence to make alterations following the defeat to Steve Bruce’s men.
Kyle Walker-Peters has joined Juan Foyth, Tanguy Ndombele and Ryan Sessegnon on the sidelines with that quartet all absent for the eagerly-awaited derby, while Eric Dier is also nursing a hip problem and will be checked in the build-up to the game.
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