The Daily Star Ireland
Arsenal, despite their strong performances in recent years, appear likely to fall short of the Premier League title once again this season. The Gunners are currently in second place, six points behind league leaders Liverpool, having played one more match. Consistently tough to beat, Arsenal’s last league defeat came in early November. They followed up a series of victories against Crystal Palace (5-1), Ipswich (1-0), and Brentford (3-1) with a 1-1 draw at Brighton. However, their momentum was interrupted by a 2-0 home loss to Newcastle in the League Cup semi-final first leg. Arsenal recently hosted Manchester United in the FA Cup and remain hopeful of securing direct qualification to the Champions League Round of 16, where they are third in their group.
Tottenham, meanwhile, have fallen far short of expectations this season, currently sitting 12th in the Premier League with 24 points from 20 matches. They are 10 points adrift of the European qualification spots. Spurs have struggled in recent weeks, securing only one victory in their last eight league games—a win over bottom-placed Southampton. During this period, they managed two draws and suffered five losses, including a 2-1 defeat to Newcastle at home in their last league outing. Nonetheless, they surprised many with a 1-0 victory over Liverpool in the League Cup semi-final first leg. Tottenham also recently traveled to face Tamworth in the FA Cup and are currently ninth in the Europa League standings, with work to do to secure a place in the Round of 16.
Arsenal will be without key players for this encounter. Bukayo Saka remains sidelined alongside defender Ben White, substitute Tomiyasu, and youngster Ethan Nwaneri. Brazilian striker Gabriel Jesus, who has struggled for form this season with just three league goals, has shown improvement recently and is expected to start. Other attacking options include German international Kai Havertz (7 goals, 2 assists), Gabriel Martinelli (5 goals, 2 assists), and Leandro Trossard (3 goals, 2 assists).
Tottenham is dealing with significant absences as well, including first-choice goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, defenders Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, and Destiny Udogie, and midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur. Backup players Ben Davies, Odobert, and Richarlison are also unavailable, while reserve goalkeeper Fraser Forster is doubtful. Czech goalkeeper Kinsky, recently signed from Slavia Prague, impressed in the League Cup semi-final first leg against Arsenal. Spurs’ attacking firepower, however, remains intact, with James Maddison (8 goals, 4 assists), Dominic Solanke (7 goals, 3 assists), Brennan Johnson (7 goals, 2 assists), Son Heung-min (5 goals, 6 assists), and Dejan Kulusevski (5 goals, 4 assists) all available. The club also recently acquired young South Korean winger Min-hyeok Yang during the winter transfer window.
Prediction
Arsenal have seen just one goalless draw in their last 20 Premier League home matches, while Tottenham have gone 42 league games without such a result. With both teams possessing attacking quality, a stalemate seems unlikely. Arsenal’s consistency at home gives them the edge in this clash.
Prediction: Arsenal 2-1 Tottenham
