Tottenham v Arsenal live: Premier League team news and line-ups ahead of north London derby – UK Times

Line-ups are about to drop for the north London derby…

Igor Tudor is “100 per cent” confident Tottenham will be a Premier League club next season as he bids to steer the club away from the drop.

“I’m not here to enjoy it, I’m here to worl,” he said. “Enjoy is the first moment, and then there’s work to do. It’s a fantastic club. I am very focused to do the right things.”

Bukayo Saka has signed a new five-year contract with Arsenal keeping him at the club until 2031 as the 24-year-old commits his future to the Gunners.

Arsenal have now secured Saka for his prime years, making him the highest-paid player at the club in the process with the Englishman now boasting wages in excess of £300,000 per week.

“I’m feeling amazing. I think it’s a fantastic moment for my family and for me. I feel immense joy to continue my journey at this club. For me, it was an easy commitment and I just hope to win everything here,” Saka told the official club website.

“I believe the next few years are going to be the years that we get over the line, and we’re able to win trophies and make history for this club. We’re back where we belong, fighting for everything.”

Former Juventus coach Tudor is set to take over at Tottenham on an interim basis after proving himself as a short-term solution in Italy, but with his appointment comes the risk of repeating a Premier League cautionary tale.

Despite the dropped points, Arteta’s Addressing these claims ahead of his side’s trip to Tottenham on Sunday, Arteta stated: “The media reaction is tough. Everybody has their own opinion and their perspective is the right one.

“If we all have an individual book, I don’t know what your book would say and what you had predicted three, five, seven, eight months ago? It would be very interesting to go through and understand what you predicted and how you saw the season going.”

Igor Tudor has acknowledged Tottenham are in an “emergency situation” but believes the quality of the squad can steer them clear of Premier League relegation worries.

Tudor faced the media for the first time on Friday and fielded questions on Spurs’ precarious league position, a hefty injury list and the daunting prospect of a managerial debut in a north London derby against Arsenal.

The 47-year-old is no stranger to a crisis situation after taking over at Juventus, Lazio and Udinese in difficult moments and was defiant before his maiden Premier League match on Sunday.

It was the sort of scene that just shouldn’t be possible for a team in command of first place.

Arsenal were going seven points clear and 2-0 up against the Premier League’s doomed bottom side – only to end the match arguing with Wolves players, after a chaotic late equaliser.

They suddenly looked like a team out of control.

There is a profound irony there, one that could be seen in Mikel Arteta’s shell-shocked post-game press conference.

That is because he is a manager who seeks more control over his team than any manager, including Pep Guardiola.

It is both the reason Arsenal are where they are and a problem that may ultimately prevent them from getting to where they really, really, want to go. The very desire itself has become another issue.

Mikel Arteta insisted the word “bottlers” is not part of his vocabulary as he denied Arsenal are blowing another chance to win the Premier League.

Arsenal surrendered a two-goal lead at bottom-of-the-table Wolves on Wednesday to hand the initiative to title rivals Manchester City.

If Pep Guardiola’s side win all their remaining 12 matches – which includes a pivotal contest against Arsenal at the Etihad in April – they will be crowned champions.

Igor Tudor begins his tenure as Tottenham’s new head coach in Sunday’s north London derby, where Arsenal’s quest for silverware on four fronts is a reminder of Spurs’s deep-rooted problem.

Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz could both be back to bolster the Arsenal squad and leave Mikel Arteta with a few tough selection decisions to make.

Possible line-up: Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Hincapie; Odegaard, Zubimendi, Rice; Saka, Gyokeres, Martinelli.