The North London Derby was scheduled to take place on Sunday 17th January. However, Arsenal’s appeal to postpone the game was accepted and the fixture will now be played at a later date.
The North London Derby Called Off Due To Player Absences
Arsenal Face Player Shortage
Arsenal are currently facing many player absences due to various different reasons. Players such as Thomas Partey and Mohamed Elneny are currently out playing in the African Cup of Nations. Meanwhile, other players have been ruled out due to injuries and a rise in covid cases.
The Tottenham Hotspur hierarchy are angry with the postponement and believe Arsenal are not facing a coronavirus outbreak. Antonio Conte’s side were hoping to bounce back after their lacklustre Carabao Cup games against Chelsea. Tottenham were prepared for a double gameweek and are still set to face Leicester City on the 19th of January. Arsenal would also have been looking to rebound after being knocked out of the FA Cup by Nottingham Forest.
Premier League Statement
The Premier League released a statement today stating “Following a request from Arsenal, the Premier League board met today and regrettably agreed to postpone the club’s away fixture against Tottenham.
“With Arsenal having fewer than the required number of players available for the match (13 outfield players and one goalkeeper), the board accepted the club’s application.
“The decision is a result of a combination of COVID-19, existing and recent injuries and players on international duty at the Africa Cup of Nations.”
Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta, recently said that his team’s “intention is to always play”. That being said, he won’t be able to field a line-up for the North London derby. Currently, no new date has been selected for the North London derby. Arsenal stil have to play three other league games which were postponed earlier this season whilst Tottenham had two previous games.
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