Chris Sutton shares Tottenham disappointment, as Arsenal ‘issues’ highlighted for North London derby
Chris Sutton has predicted that Arsenal will take the three points in the North London derby on Sunday, despite mounting injury concerns.
Tottenham take on Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium, with both sides hoping to build on positive starts to the Premier League campaign.
The Gunners are at the top of the table despite dropping points to Sunderland before the international break, while Thomas Frank‘s side sit fifth.
Gabriel is set to be missing for Arsenal against Tottenham, with the defender suffering a muscle injury while on international duty.
Still, Arsenal are strong favourites to beat Tottenham, with Mikel Arteta‘s side holding a dominant record in recent instalments of the North London derby.
Chris Sutton shares North London derby verdict
Frank has not won any of his last seven games managed against Arsenal, with the Gunners routinely beating Brentford.
The Dane did coach the Bees to beat Arteta’s team on their Premier League debut in 2021, however, which may provide some confidence ahead of Sunday’s clash.
Both teams are set to be without several key players, with Viktor Gyokeres, Martin Odegaard, Noni Madueke, and Gabriel Martinelli all facing a race to make the squad for Arsenal.
Gabriel will miss out, and Riccardo Calafiori’s involvement is also in doubt after the Italy international was left out of his nation’s last game.
Randal Kolo Muani looks set to be declared fit for the clash, despite injuring his jaw against Manchester United, but the likes of Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison remain unavailable.
“While Spurs have picked up some good results, I have still been disappointed with their front line, and their attacking players have not really connected,” Sutton told BBC Sport on Thursday in his predictions.
He continued: “I started off thinking that this game was going to be reasonably close but, the more I think about it, the more I feel like Arsenal will win comfortably.
“The Gunners have some issues too, with Gabriel out injured. He has been such a colossal player for them but Cristhian Mosquera can come into their defence, and I don’t see it affecting them too much.”
Sutton predicted that Arsenal will win 3-0, while singer Olly Murs went along similar lines, predicting a 2-0 win for the home side.
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Tottenham will defend deep against Arsenal
Despite being a somewhat uncomfortable truth, many Tottenham fans would admit that attempting to match up Arsenal on Sunday could lead to an unattractive score line.
Instead, Frank will likely set his team up to defend deep and hit the Gunners on the counter-attack.
| Arsenal | Premier League 2025-26 | Tottenham |
| 26 | Points | 18 |
| 20 | Goals scored | 19 |
| 5 | Goals conceded | 10 |
| 19.3 | Expected goals (xG) | 11 |
| 6.1 | Expected goals against (xGA) | 15.2 |
With that in mind, any positive Tottenham result will be fashioned by defensive solidity and efficient transitions.
The odds seem stacked against Frank’s side on Sunday, but Tottenham may well enjoy their status coming into the game as underdogs.
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