Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said his team will go into Sunday’s North London derby against Tottenham with huge energy and a firm belief that they will beat their rivals.
Arsenal will begin a tough week in their quest for silverware when they host Tottenham Hotspur, then take on Atalanta in their Champions League opener, before taking on Manchester City on the 22nd, the PA news agency reports.
But Arsenal will face hosts Tottenham without their star players Declan Rice, who is suspended after receiving a red card in the draw with Brighton, and Mikel Merino, who is injured with a shoulder.
Martin Odegaard is expected to be out for a while after suffering an ankle injury while playing for Norway. Arteta has yet to say how long Odegaard will be out.
This will see the Spanish coach make changes to his line-up ahead of a game he has admitted will lay the foundation for a truly crucial period for Arsenal this season.
“This game will determine our course in many moments this season,” Arteta said. “When you play these big games there is a lot at stake.”
“It’s an exciting game too. When you’re able to perform and win games like this, it gives you a huge boost, we know that, and that’s why we’ll do our best,” he added.
“We have some limitations that we know very well. There are certain things that we cannot control, and what happened in the last two weeks was very unfortunate. We have to face this, but hopefully during the season things will be different,” he added.
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