There is nothing in English football quite like the North London Derby between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal, and with the Gunners sitting in first and Spurs in fifth, there will be a lot on the line this Sunday when Thomas Frank gets to learn the nature of this beastly fixture for the first time in his career.
Already, Tottenham and Arsenal fans are wondering how key injuries may shape this high octane fixture between the bitter rivals. Coming out of the November international break, Tottenham fans may be especially curious about the status of Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard, who has been slowed again this season by injuries.
Odegaard was unable to play for the Norwegian national team this November international break, and early comments made by his national team manager seemed to point towards the world class playmaker being unlikely to suit up for Arsenal against Tottenham.
Tottenham need to step up
But according to remarks from Odegaard himself after Norway's Sunday game against the Italian national team, that may not be something Spurs fans should hold out hope for. Speaking to Norwegian outlet TV 2 Sport, via AFC Xtra, Odegaard seemed to indicate that he has a great chance of returning from his knee injury in time to face Tottenham, “It's moving forward. The match today came a little too early... But it's starting to look better, so hopefully I'll be back soon.”
So it sounds like Odegaard is progressing well from his injury, and while there is no real reason to rush him with Eberechi Eze available as a top Premier League playmaker with a point of his own to prove against Tottenham after snubbing them this summer for Arsenal, there is no question that Odegaard offers the Gunners that something extra as a leader and player, especially in a fixture as massive as the North London Derby where there is that added pressure element emotionally.
Tottenham have not been particularly great in midfield under Thomas Frank, and if Odegaard does play, this is going to be more incenetive for Frank to finally roll with Pape Matar Sarr over the mediocre Rodrigo Bentancur in order to get that extra bit of midfield running, dynamism, and defensive quality to battle up with the world class Odegaard.
The real focus, though, will be Joao Palhinha. He is an amazing defensive midfielder and has the quality to blanket Odegaard out of the game. But even for him, an Arsenal game it not half as easy against O as it is against Eze.