Arsenal news: Gunners sent Tottenham warning as referee appointed for North London derby

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The Premier League returns this weekend with a bang as Arsenal take on Tottenham in Sunday’s north London derby. Mikel Arteta ’s side, who currently lead the table by four points, will face their bitter rivals under the management of Thomas Frank for the first time since they lost their meeting in pre-season .

The Gunners have not lost to Spurs in their last six official meetings and their recent run of 14 games unbeaten means they are the favourites to emerge victorious at the Emirates Stadium. But this particular derby is known for its chaotic nature and for throwing up controversy, meaning form very often goes out the window when the two clubs meet.

One particular concern for Arteta will be his lengthy list of injuries, which the recent international break appeared to exacerbate. Both Gabriel Magalhaes and Riccardo Calafiori are doubts for the game after leaving their respective camps early and face a race against time to return for the fixture.

Now, ahead of what promises to be a tantalising encounter, Mirror Football takes a look at two of the latest news stories surrounding Arsenal.

Arsenal legend Martin Keown has voiced his concerns over facing Spurs this weekend, believing they pose more of a threat than they are given credit for. Frank’s side have started the season steadily under their new manager and, despite having lost three and drawn three, are currently fifth in the table.

Keown thinks Frank will look to frustrate the home crowd and create anxiousness around the Emirates with his tactics in the first north London derby of the season. Arteta’s men, who are expected to claim all three points, have now been told how to counteract that.

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The pundit told the Metro : “What concerns me this weekend is Spurs’ away form. Spurs at home it’s like two different entities.

“At home it’s like one win in five and I think they’ve won four out of five away from home. Their manager is very good at slowing things down, just quietening the crowd and the keeper just puts his foot on the ball.

“I’ve had a little look this week to see what they do away from home and they do it really well. Arsenal are going to have to go in and press high and look to dominate the game.”

The Premier League has confirmed that referee Michael Oliver will take charge of Sunday’s fixture . He will be assisted by linesmen Stuart Burt and James Mainwaring, fourth official Michael Salisbury, as well as Stuart Attwell as the lead VAR operator and Constantine Hatzidakis as his assistant.

But, along with the Spurs players, Oliver will be the most unpopular man in N5 when the players and officials come out onto the pitch. That’s because of two hugely contentious decisions he made last season that went against the Gunners.

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The first was in September 2024 when he sent off Leandro Trossard in a crucial game against Manchester City for kicking the ball away 1.07 seconds after he had blown his whistle, which he deemed to have delayed the restart. The decision left Arsenal fans, players and coaching staff irate.

He followed that up a few months later by incorrectly sending off Myles Lewis-Skelly against Wolves for a late challenge that was neither reckless nor denied a goal-scoring opportunity. The red card was later rescinded, sparking further anger among the Arsenal faithful.

That incident 10 months ago was the last time Oliver was placed in charge of an Arsenal game. Arteta will be hoping his side are dominant enough that any controversial calls this time around won’t impact the outcome of one of the most crucial games of the season so far.

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