Arsenal will be looking to arrest their dreadful run of three consecutive defeats in all competitions when they travel to bitter rivals and fellow title contenders Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.
Arsene Wenger has come under severe criticism in recent weeks for the failure of his side to capitalize on the collapse of regular title contenders Manchester City, Chelsea and Manchester United in this year’s title race.
His side followed up a woeful performance at Old Trafford with another disappointing showing at home to Swansea City, which saw them fall six points behind leaders Leicester City in the title race.
SEE MORE: Preview of Spurs vs. Arsenal north London derby
On the other hand, Spurs were also beaten 1-0 at West Ham on Wednesday, which saw them miss out on the opportunity to go top of the table for the first time this season.
Mauricio Pochettino’s men are three points ahead of their visitors coming into this match and they need to prove their title credentials by squeezing out the three points here as a defeat would place serious doubt on their ability to last the course.
KEY STAT: Tottenham have lost just once in the last seven league games against Arsenal at White Hart Lane (W4 D2 L1).
Team news
Petr Cech has been ruled out for the rest of the month, so David Ospina will be in goal for his first Premier League start this season. Laurent Koscielny is also out injured so we can expect Per Mertesacker and Gabriel Paulista to be the center-back pairing despite shaky performances from the duo in recent times.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (knee), Tomas Rosicky (thigh), Jack Wilshere (calf) and Santi Cazorla (achilles) remain unavailable for selection due to injury.
Tottenham do not have too many injuries to worry about with Clinton N’Jie and Jan Vertonghen the only definite absentees. Mousa Dembele (groin) may be fit enough to make the bench while Dele Alli is also expected back in the starting XI after a substitute role in the last game.
Predicted lineups
