Arsenal welcome Tottenham Hotspur to Emirates Stadium for the second North London Derby of the season and it’s fair to say Mikel Arteta is looking forward to the occasions.
“It’s probably the nicest game of the season to watch and play, because of the atmosphere, what it means to our people and everyone who is involved in the game,” the Spaniard said on Tuesday. “This is something that is in our hands, for example.
The Gunners go into the clash without a number of senior players, however, with Gabriel Jesus the latest player to pick up an injury. The Brazilian was stretchered off against Manchester United at the weekend and reports suggest he could be out for the season with an ACL injury.
Arteta said: “We know more now and it’s not looking good at all. We need to review one more specialist, so we will probably know more information this afternoon (Tuesday).” He added: “I don’t want to confirm anything until we have the final report this afternoon. It’s the doctor’s job to do that. But we were very worried after the game and we are very worried today.”
Bukayo Saka and Ethan Nwaneri will also miss the North London Derby, although the teenager is now back out on the grass. “He is good. He has started to do some work on the pitch already,” Arteta said on Nwaneri. “He is evolving well, he is young, he is healing very, very fast so hopefully we can have him soon.”
