Preview: Arsenal v. Tottenham Hotspur

Fabregas and Van Persie scored 11 seconds of playing time apart last year. Pic via Daily Mail.

Emirates Stadium, London

Saturday, November 20

12:45 GMT, 7:45 a.m. EST

• Referee: Phil Dowd
• This Match, Last Year: Arsenal 3 - 0 Tottenham
• All-Time in All Competitions: 69 Arsenal wins, 51 Tottenham wins, 44 draws
• Arsenal's Recent Form: W-W-W-L-W-W
• Tottenham's Recent Form: W-D-L-L-D-W

Predicted Line-Up

guesses in red

Fabianski

Sagna - Koscielny - Squillaci - Clichy

Song - Wilshere

Nasri - Fabregas - Arshavin

Chamakh

Subs from: Szczesny, Djourou, Gibbs, Eboue, Denilson, Rosicky, Walcott, Bendtner, Van Persie

Out: Diaby (ankle), Almunia (elbow), Vermaelen (Achilles), Ramsey (broken leg)

Arsenal News and Notes

• The round of international uselessness, and the accompanying delay in players returning to the club, means we won't have a solid idea about the injury situation until tomorrow, so check back then for an update on this.
• Jack Wilshere, who dropped from the England squad with a muscle problem in his back that I believe he picked up at Everton on Sunday, faces a fitness test tomorrow.
• Andrei Arshavin, Samir Nasri, Lukasz Fabianski, and Johan Djourou all played the entirety of their respective useless matches. Bacary Sagna played 87 minutes, which is practically the entirety.
• Marouane Chamakh played 70 minutes and scored a goal, Kieran Gibbs played 72, and Emmanuel Eboue played 53 minutes.
• Cesc Fabregas, Tomas Rosicky, Robin van Persie, and Theo Walcott all played one half.
• Arsenal have won five out of their last six league fixtures for the first time since a six match winning streak in February-March.
• A win would make this Arsenal's third three match winning streak in the league this season.

Tottenham News and Notes

• Jermain Defoe (ankle) has made an early return to training.
• Arsenal reject David Bentley (calf) is doubtful.
• Potential retuns include Robbie Keane (ankle), Aaron Lennon (hamstring), though Giovani dos Santos (groin) might be a week away.
• Michael Dawson (knee) and Jamie O'Hara (back) are out until December.
• Tom Huddlestone (ankle) just underwent surgery and is out for 12 weeks.
• Ledley King and Jonathan Woodgate (both groin) have no return dates set.
• I'm making a point of not mentioning a number of historical statistics surrounding this match, in fear of jinxing them.

Match Facts

• We hate Tottenham and we hate Tottenham.
• We hate Tottenham and we hate Tottenham.
• We hate Tottenham and we hate Tottenham.
• We are the Tottenham haters.

The Referee

• The referee is Phil Dowd.
• Dowd last took charge of an Arsenal match for their 1-1 draw at Sunderland, in which Alex Song was sent off and Darren Bent equalized after an absurd amount of added time. Bad memories.
• The only Spurs match he has worked this year was their 1-0 loss at home to Wigan. Good memories.
• This is his first North London derby.

Around the League

• Saturday: Birmingham City v. Chelsea; St. Andrew's, Birmingham
• Saturday: Blackpool v. Wolverhampton Wanderers; Bloomfield Road, Blackpool
• Saturday: Bolton Wanderers v. Newcastle United; Reebok Stadium, Bolton
• Saturday: Manchester United v. Wigan Athletic; Old Trafford, Manchester
• Saturday: West Bromwich Albion v. Stoke City; The Hawthorns, West Bromwich
• Saturday: Liverpool v. West Ham United; Anfield, Liverpool
• Sunday: Blackburn Rovers v. Aston Villa; Ewood Park, Blackburn
• Sunday: Fulham v. Manchester City; Craven Cottage, London
• Monday: Sunderland v. Everton; Stadium of Light, Sunderland