By Michael Nsikan Richard – November 23rd, 2025
Date: November 23rd, 2025
Venue: Emirates Stadium, London
Kick-Off: 4:30pm WAT
Match Context and Current Standings
Arsenal are flying right now. They are sitting pretty at the top of the league with 26 points from 11 games, 3 points clear of Chelsea.
8 wins, 2 draws, and just one lotellll you everything about how their season is going.
As for Tottenham, it is a different story. They are down in 8th with 18 points, trailing their rivals by 8 points and sitting 2 points outside the Champions League spots.
5 wins, 3 draws, 3 losses—it has been inconsistent, to say the least.
Head-to-Head History
But there’s the thing about derbies: The form goes out the window.
With an honest view of things, Arsenal has absolutely dominated this fixture lately. They have only lost once at home to Spurs in their last 32 Premier League meetings—way back in November 2010, when Tottenham won 3-2.
Arsenal have taken 7 of the last 10 clashes overall, with Spurs managing just 2 wins and a draw.
The Gunners have won the last 3 straight, including a 2-1 victory at the Emirates last season. Tottenham hasn’t tasted victory in this one since that 3-0 thrashing in May 2022.
Team News: Injury Nightmare
This is where things get interesting and concerning for Arsenal fans.
Arsenal’s Defensive Crisis: Sky Sports reports that Gabriel Magalhães is out for weeks with an adductor injury picked up on international duty with Brazil. This is massive. Gabriel isn’t just another defender—he’s the backbone of everything Arsenal does defensively.
The High Line? That’s Gabriel. Aerial battles? Gabriel. Physical presence? Losing him changes everything.
The injury list doesn’t stop there:
- Martin Ødegaard is still some way off returning from his knee problem.
- Kai Havertz looked close to coming back after nearly three months out, but he’s had a setback.
- Viktor Gyökeres has a muscular issue and probably won’t make it.
- Gabriel Martinelli and Noni Madueke might feature, but they’re touch-and-go.
- Riccardo Calafiori missed Italy’s duty with a hip complaint.
- And Gabriel Jesus, he’s still working his way back from that ACL injury.
Tottenham’s Injury Crisis
Spurs aren’t much better off, as Sky Sports also reports that they are without Pape Matar Sarr (actually, Thomas Frank reportedly says he’s fit now despite coming off against Senegal), Randal Kolo Muani, Lucas Bergvall, Dominic Solanke, Dejan Kulusevski, Archie Gray, Ben Davies, Yves Bissouma, and James Maddison.
That’s a lot of missing pieces for Frank to work around.
Tactical Analysis and Match Outlook
Without Gabriel, Arsenal’s entire defensive setup looks shaky. He is the one who enables them to play that aggressive high line, who wins everything in there, and who physically dominates attackers. Whoever steps in for him has massive shoes to fill.
It is expected that Tottenham will target that weakness. Expect them to go direct, hit Arsenal on the counter, and really test whoever’s playmaker-back. With someone like Kolo Muani’s pace (if he is fully fit), they have got the tools to hurt Arsenal in transition.
Arsenal will probably do what they always do—keep the ball, control tempo and pressure, and try to suffocate Tottenham with possession. But the Gunners will need to be careful. One lapse in concentration at the back and Spurs will punish them.
Frank’s teams usually sit deep, stay compact, and then explode forward when they win the ball. Given Arsenal’s defensive injuries, this approach could really work.
For the first time in ages, Tottenham actually has a proper chance to win at the Emirates.
The Stakes
This is not just another game for Arsenal. They have got Tottenham today, Bayern Munich on Wednesday in the Champions League, and then Chelsea away next weekend.
Three massive challenges in the space of a week. Win all three and they’re flying high in both competitions; Drop points anywhere and suddenly there’s doubt, especially with Man City lurking right behind them.
For Tottenham, this is about making a statement. New manager, new approach, and a chance to announce themselves properly under Frank. Beat Arsenal and suddenly that top-four push looks realistic again.
Predictions
On paper, Arsenal seems the favorite to win this. They are top of the table, they have home-ground advantage, and they have dominated this fixture for years.
But football is not played on paper. Gabriel’s absence is huge and concerning—bigger than most people realize. Tottenham has the perfect opportunity to exploit that vulnerability, and Frank’s track record in big games suggests he knows exactly how to set them up.
This could genuinely be close. The emotion, the intensity, the tactical battle between Arteta’s possession game and Frank’s counter-attacking style—it’s all there for such a thrilling encounter.
Arsenal are the favorites, sure, but don’t be shocked if Tottenham makes this really interesting and
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