11 players who could miss Tottenham vs Arsenal North London Derby amid fresh worry

Tottenham and Arsenal are set to enter Sunday’s North London Derby showdown without key names, while the Gunners are having to tackle a midfield selection crisis.

All three of Mikel Arteta’s primary midfield trio are unavailable, with captain Martin Odegaard expected to be out for at least three weeks after twisting his ankle in Norway’s Nations League clash with Austria on Monday. He was spotted boarding the return flight on crutches.

Arsenal had already suffered two set-backs in the role with Declan Rice suspended following his controversial red card against Brighton and Hove Albion, while summer signing Mikel Merino will be side-lined for a few weeks with a shoulder injury sustained in his first training session after joining from Real Sociedad.

Arteta might, also, have four other absentees. Another new arrival, Riccardo Calafiori, hobbled off during Italy duty in September’s international break owing to a problem with his foot.

His availability for Sunday’s match remains in the balance. Gabriel Jesus has missed Arsenal’s last two games with a groin problem, while Takehiro Tomiyasu and Kieran Tierney are yet to return from their respective knee and muscle injuries, compounding the selection dilemma for Arteta.

Over at Tottenham, meanwhile, Ange Postecoglou might be without Micky van de Ven after the defender picked up a knee issue in the victory over Everton, which ruled him out of the defeat to Newcastle United just before the international break took place.

Updates on him and Dominic Solanke, who has missed the last two games due to his ankle injury, are expected in Friday’s pre-match press conference. Further information may also be given on Richarlison, yet to start this season.

The Brazilian also missed the clash against Newcastle, while Yves Bissouma is a fresh concern after picking up a knock after scoring the winner Mali’s 1-0 win vs Eswatini. Meanwhile, it was announced on Tuesday that Rodrigo Bentancur has been charged by the FA after comments he made involving Spurs teammate Son Heung-min.

Bentancur may also receive a lengthy ban for his comments, with FA rules indicating a range of six to 12 weeks for “almost all acts of discrimination by individual participants”. He’s poised to be available this Sunday, with the player then being able to appeal the charge until next Thursday (September 19).