Who: Tottenham Hotspur vs Arsenal
What: English Premier League
Where: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, United Kingdom
When: Sunday, 22 February at (16:30) GMT
How to watch: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from GMT until our live commentary.
“Arsenal will look to shake off their untimely bout of title race anxiety as the wobbly Premier League leaders head to bitter rivals Tottenham for a north London derby.
Mikel Arteta’s men are in danger of blowing their commanding position in the title race after successive draws against Brentford and Wolves left them with just two wins in their last seven league games.
“The Canaries have squandered the advantage in both matches, and Wednesday’s 2: 2 draw at bottom of the table Wolves is particularly annoying as they conceded a stoppage time equaliser, leading 2: 0.
“Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City will be two points behind Arsenal if they beat Newcastle at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.
Meanwhile, new Tottenham coach Igor Tudor faces a baptism of fire in his first game in charge of the club as he is tasked with leading Spurs out of the relegation battle.
Thomas Frank was sacked as Tottenham manager following the defeat to Newcastle at the start of February as a dreadful domestic campaign left Spurs in 16th place, just five points above go wrong.
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Defiant Arsenal striker Bukayo Saka is adamant that his side will eventually “get over the line” and end their trophy drought.
After allowing City to overhaul their 2023 and 2024 title chases, the north Londoners, who have not won silverware since the 2020 FA Cup, face sharp questions about their ability to cope with mounting pressure.
Saka said Arsenal must silence the doubters by getting back on track at Tottenham on Sunday.
“I believe the next few years will be the years when we get over the line and we can win trophies and make history for this club,” Saka said. “We are back where we should be, fighting for everything.”
Saka in action against Wolves at Molineux on 18 February [Carl Recine/Getty Images]
Arteta rejects ‘botlers’ talk’
The Arsenal boss has rejected the term “bottlers” ahead of Sunday’s Premier League visit of Tottenham Hotspur.
“It’s not part of my vocabulary and I don’t see it because I don’t think anyone wants to do it intentionally,” Arteta told reporters on Friday when asked about the term being used in relation to their latest wobble in the title race.
“It’s an individual opinion, a perspective. You have to respect that. That’s what I said after the press conference. You lose two points against Wolves in the same way as the game, you’re this next, what we’re made of, what we love about it and how we write our own destiny from here.”