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Arsenal travel to the Vitality Stadium on Sunday to take on Eddie Howe’s in-form Bournemouth side in their latest Premier League clash.

However, the Gunners themselves will be arriving hoping to extend their unbeaten run in all competitions to 17 matches. The north London club will have to be at their best though to get a result against the Cherries, so manager Unai Emery has plenty of important decisions to make ahead of this weekend’s clash.

Playmaker FC’s Theo Ogden was at the Emirates to witness Arsenal’s qualification for the Europa League last 32. Check out his match diary in the video below…

Amongst those key decisions is who shall lead his side out on Sunday. Arsenal’s club captain, Laurent Koscielny, is still out with injury, so the armband has rotated between Petr Cech, Nacho Monreal, Granit Xhaka, Aaron Ramsey and Mesut Ozil so far this season.

Against Wolves, last time out, Ozil was appointed as the Gunners’ skipper by Emery. He may well have the honour again on Sunday. 

The 30-year-old former Germany international is certainly the club’s most high-profile player and has a talismanic role at the Emirates Stadium. However, his recently inconsistent form, and reported (although denied) falling out with Emery (Express), may have led some Arsenal fans to consider the playmaker an unsuitable candidate for the captaincy.

If Emery believes the responsibility of leadership can coax the best out of his No. 10 though, then giving Ozil the armband is an obvious decision.

Arsenal fans, how will you feel if Ozil is named captain against Bournemouth?

With all the focus falling on Tanguy Ndombele after Tuesday evening’s Champions League encounter between Lyon and Manchester City, Unai Emery should take the transfer initiative.

Indeed, he should be creative and make it clear to Arsenal that Nabil Fekir would be a better fit for the team than Ndombele.

The Lyon midfielders were superb against City that saw them keep Pep Guardiola’s men to a 2-2 draw with the 21-year-old Ndombele receiving a lot of praise from the City boss.

Ndombele appears to already be on the radar of Arsenal and the Citizens as both clubs look to strengthen their midfield’s defensive options.

But Fekir, who has also been linked with another possible move to the Premier League, would be of higher value to the Gunners and could be a very good long-term investment for the club.

Mesut Ozil’s omission from the first-team in Sunday’s win at Bournemouth has raised a few question marks over his future at the North London club and if he is part of Emery’s plans going forward.

Fekir has proven his capabilities as an attacking midfielder, but he’s just a bit more direct and clinical than Ozil, which is the type that Emery might fancy.

The French international made a huge impact in Lyon’s opening round Champions League match when they surprised City at the Etihad in a 2-1 win with Fekir assisting the first goal and scoring the second one himself.

With Aaron Ramsey also set to leave the Emirates at the end of the season, the 25-year-old could be viewed as a replacement for the Welshman as they both like to play high up the pitch.

One important task lying ahead for Emery is to make notable signings in next summer’s transfer window and the addition of someone like Fekir would be quite a statement and warning sign to Arsenal’s rivals.

His experience will also be crucial for Emery in his second season where the expectations of the club will rise to take the club back to a competitive position.

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Arsenal host Tottenham this Sunday in one of the most hotly-anticipated North London derbies for some time, not least because it’s Unai Emery’s first. The Spaniard will need to quickly get to grips with the sheer intensity of the occasion, although this game does mark the revival of one of his old regular La Liga battles, Mauricio Pochettino making his name at Espanyol before moving to the Premier League.

So, will Emery be overawed by this iconic Premier League clash, or could Tottenham fall short of expectations to leave the Emirates Stadium empty-handed? Our Match Preview covers everything you need to know ahead of the latest instalment of the North London Derby…

What History Tells Us

While Tottenham may well be favourites for Sunday’s encounter, they’ve traditionally been overshadowed by the Gunners in this fixture. Arsenal boast more wins, goals and clean sheets than the Lilywhites, although they’ve also picked up one more red card from the 52 meetings to date in the Premier League.

The most disturbing statistic, though, is undoubtedly Tottenham’s frankly pathetic win rate when visiting their North London rivals. From 26 Premier League trips to Arsenal’s manor, they’ve only ever won two – and one of those was during the competition’s first ever season, back in 1993.

Managerial Head-to-Head

This will be Emery and Pochettino’s first meeting since 2012 but back in their La Liga days, it was the former who usually got the upper hand, winning four of seven meetings compared to just two for the latter.

However, Pochettino’s Espanyol side ended up scoring more goals than Emery’s Valencia team in total, and that’s due to a rather curious quirk – during their first and last meetings, Pochettino’s team racked up seven of their eleven goals. The final encounter between these two managers was a 4-0 victory in the Tottenham gaffer’s favour and Emery went on to leave his club at the end of the season.

Referee Influence – Mike Dean

The appointment of Mike Dean has certainly created some controversy, Arsenal fans long-promoting a theory that the Wirral-born referee holds a secret allegiance to Tottenham Hotspur. There’s no real evidence of that; in fact, Arsenal have won their last three meetings with Spurs in which Dean has officiated and haven’t lost a game he’s refereed since September 2015.

However, it’s obvious from the statistics why Dean has a knack of winding fans and players up the wrong way. While he ranks in the bottom half of the 17 referees to work in the top flight this season for fouls per tackle and fouls per game, he’s in the top four for red cards and yellow cards by per-match metrics. That contrast between overall management of the game and the harsh dealing of cards is a key part of the frustration towards Dean, regardless of alleged bias.

Team News

After a brief experimentation with 3-4-3 last weekend, we’re expecting Emery to return to what is probably his strongest side for this game, or at the very least his most dangerous. That will see Alexandre Lacazette lead the attack after missing the Bournemouth clash through injury, and of course Mesut Ozil return to the midfield after his mysterious absence last Sunday. They should add both firepower and creativity to a Gunners team that struggled to beat the Cherries at the Vitality Stadium.

But the real concern for Arsenal is at the back. They’ve conceded more than one goal per game so far this season in the Premier League, and Shkodran Mustafi and Sead Kolasinac remain the most suspect. Sokratis and Ainsley Maitland-Niles represent potential alternatives.

With two huge wins in a row under their belts, Pochettino will be reluctant to make changes to a Tottenham team high in confidence at the moment. We’re expecting the Spurs gaffer to stick with the 4-2-3-1 formation used against Inter Milan, rather than the diamond setup which worked so well against Chelsea last weekend, but four key changes in personnel are anticipated.

Christian Eriksen and Heung-min Son should return, flanking Dele Alli as the No.10, while Eric Dier may be asked to add some extra physicality and defensive awareness to the midfield at the expense of Harry Winks, despite an impressive Champions League performance in midweek. Elsewhere, simply because there is so much physical demand placed on the full-backs in Tottenham’s system, we’re predicting Danny Rose to come in for Ben Davies on the left.

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As reported by Football London, West Ham have seen their injury crisis somewhat eased by summer signing Jack Wilshere’s return to fitness after an ankle problem, which will no doubt give Manuel Pellegrini a selection headache in the middle of the park as the former Arsenal man is expected to be ready for the weekend’s action.

The pairing of Declan Rice and Mark Noble has been an effective one for the majority of the current campaign, notably helping the Hammers to three straight Premier League wins from the last three games.

However, this weekend’s opponents Fulham, who are currently propping up the Premier League, will be a different kettle of fish for the Irons.

Both Noble and Rice are rigid, defence-minded midfielders with little creativity between them, so against a side playing as poorly as the Cottagers are, Wilshere’s creativity and vision could be a more useful weapon than what the Hammers’ captain offers alongside Rice.

Who do you think should start in midfield alongside Rice against Claudio Ranieri’s men? Have your say down below and keep an eye out for the published results…

Celtic scraped into the last-32 of the Europa League by the skin of their teeth last night after Rosenborg struck late to equalise in Leipzig.

A 2-1 defeat against RB Salzburg did not consign them to elimination in the end but Brendan Rodgers will know he has plenty of work to do if his side are to progress through the knockout stages of the competition.

Celtic were relatively short of ideas in the final-third last night and, despite losing the game, defensive performances particularly caught the eye.

Filip Benkovic was in inspired form once again in central defence, and he is already looking like an incredibly fine piece of business.

The consistency of his form has provoked some supporters to question whether he will return to Leicester in January, but former Celtic striker Scott McDonald seems to think he’ll be at Celtic Park for the remainder of the season.

Speaking on Good Morning Scotland (via BBC), Mcdonald discussed Rodgers’ January plans.

“Brendan has talked about strengthening in January and hopefully he will have two or three more in. Filip Benkovic looks as if he might stay until the end of the season, which is fantastic news.”

But McDonald believes there is one key permutation to Benkovic staying at the club, with Dedryck Boyata’s future once again on the agenda.

“If that happens, there is a possibility if Dedryck Boyata goes in January, that frees up even more money for Celtic to attack that transfer window.”

Boyata was heavily linked with a move away from Celtic in the summer, and with his contract due to expire in May 2019 a January move certainly seems plausible.

If Celtic are given the chance to sell Boyata and avoid the risk of losing him for nothing at the end of the season there’s no question it’s an opportunity they may be forced to take, especially with Benkovic’s tremendous form to consider.

But, as McDonald has alluded to, Benkovic’s return to Leicester would leave Celtic desperately short of quality options in central defence, leaving Rodgers with no choice but to keep Boyata until the end of the season.

Celtic fans – thoughts? Let us know below!

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Everton fell to an almost embarrassing defeat at the hands of Tottenham on Sunday, and Marco Silva must bite the bullet and axe Tom Davies once and for all after his horror display.

On the chalkboard

Marco Silva has often faced criticism for the lack of defensive stability in his teams, and it’s not hard to see why after the performance against Spurs.

The 4-2-3-1 formation he deployed left loads of work for Davies and Andre Gomes, and the pair did absolutely nothing to stop the visitors from romping through at the back four at every opportunity.

However, Gomes has shown his class throughout the season, whereas for Davies this was the last straw after a long run of underwhelming displays.

Time to go?

The 20 year-old has often been given the benefit of the doubt by the Goodison faithful, as there is nothing a football fan loves more than to see a local lad rise through the ranks and become a fixture in the first team.

Davies has plateaued and even regressed since that memorable performance in the 4-0 win over Manchester City last January though, and Sunday’s showing is surely what will break the camel’s back.

Former Wigan & Fulham man, Jimmy Bullard recently showed that he’s still got it! Check out the video below...

There was absolutely no balance to the midfield duo of Gomes and Davies, as the youngster constantly roamed about in no man’s land leaving Gomes to pick up the scraps.

Silva places a lot of trust in young players, but Sunday’s display will be a wake-up call for the boss, a wake-up call that could trigger the end of Davies’ time on Merseyside, and perhaps even open the door for Morgan Schneiderlin, who was far better when he replaced the youngster in the second half.

If Arsenal’s teenage sensation Bukayo Saka starts in the FA Cup third round tie against Blackpool, which he is expected to, then he could well stake a serious claim for a regular place in Unai Emery’s starting XI, especially considering the circumstances at the club.

Why would he be in contention?

The 17-year-old appears to be no flash in the pan, nor a one-hit wonder. He made his first appearance for the Gunners as a substitute in the Europa League game against FC Vorskla, coming on for Aaron Ramsey, before making his first ever start for the club in the same competition just two weeks later against FK Qarabag.

It was in his first start for the Gunners that he had the Emirates crowd on the edge of their seats, and very nearly became the youngest European goalscorer in the club’s history with a number of efforts that had the keeper scrambling.

As a result of his showing, and his cameo performances since that game against Qarabag, that another solid match from Saka would surely make Emery consider the youngster as a valid option for his first-team on a weekly basis.

Things could fall into place for him

Whilst, in isolation, you may argue that a few good performances from a 17-year-old shouldn’t merit him becoming a regular feature in the side, the form of those who play in similar positions to him is a concern for fans of the north London side and should also be a concern for Emery.

Saka can play on either wing, but prefers to cut in from the right flank. Some of the names that currently start ahead of him at the Emirates are Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Alex Iwobi and Aaron Ramsey; if he is to compete with these three for a starting place, it could come sooner than he expects.

Mkhitaryan has been extremely poor this season. The Armenian international has scored just four goals in the current campaign, with two of them coming in the same game, whilst he has been the source of annoyance for Arsenal fans who have grown tired of the 29-year-old’s poor end product – the same can be said of Iwobi, who’s final ball is particularly woeful.

The form of the aforementioned duo, coupled with the fact that Ramsey is set to leave at the end of the season, should give Saka hope that a good performance against the Seasiders may plunge him into Emery’s thinking for the second half of the season.

There are no secrets surrounding Marko Arnautovic’s importance at the London Stadium. The Austrian is a sublime player and he’s capable of turning games on their head with a moment of magic, so when he made his first-team return after missing the Hammers last four games with a hamstring injury, the fans expected nothing but a win at Burnley.

Having Arnaurtovic back is obviously brilliant for the Irons, but yesterday they probably went a tad overboard when they saw his name in the starting lineup. As soon as the fans saw that their 29-year-old maverick was in the team they all jumped to the same conclusion that it simply had to be a win for the,m, and they were all shell-shocked when the Clarets came out firing and beat them 2-0.

Putting the Burnley game to one side, though, the fans will be delighted long-term that they have their front-man back. His five goals and two assists in 13 games may not be the healthiest return for a striker, but it’s the dynamism he brings to the Hammers’ play and the way he’s able to get his teammates involved that makes him so dangerous, as his game isn’t all about scoring goals.

You can read what the Irons said upon seeing Arnautovic’s return here:

The Irons had full faith in grabbing a win when they saw Arnautovic starting, and after failing to grab three points they’ll be looking the Austrian for a response on Wednesday against Brighton.

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Former Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel is currently seeking a new club after having his contract with Chinese Super League side Tianjin Teda terminated by mutual consent, as reported by the BBC.

What’s the word?

The 31-year-old will now begin his search for a new club. Where that will be though remains a mystery, as he is quoted in the aforementioned report as saying, “as for my next stop, I am not sure yet, maybe I will return to Europe, maybe stay in China.”

Wherever he looks to go, the midfielder will surely find suitors for his signature. The two-time Premier League winner has struggled with injury issues in recent seasons, but if he were to return to the Premier League he could still have an impact.

American Soccer Fan is back! You should check out the video below but Southampton fans should look away now…

With that in mind, Southampton should seek to bring Obi Mikel back to English shores in this January transfer window on a short-term deal.

A new midfield dimension

Obi Mikel could give the Saints the injection of midfield steel and experience that they are lacking. Oriol Romeu and Mario Lemina are currently overburdened with responsibility in the middle of the park at St Mary’s Stadium due to the lack of quality alternative defensive-midfield options Ralph Hasenhuttl has to choose from.

Obi Mikel’s understanding of the English game and technical ability would add a new dimension to the Saints’ midfield contingent, and considering he is available on a free transfer the south coast club can’t afford to pass up such a golden opportunity to secure his signature.

What do you think, Southampton fans, would you like to see the 85-cap Nigeria international at St Mary’s?

Tottenham’s title hopes were dented after a David de Gea masterclass helped Manchester United secure a 1-0 victory at Old Trafford.

The Red Devils took the lead on the stroke of half-time with Marcus Rashford beating Hugo Lloris following a wonderful pass from Paul Pogba. Tottenham piled on the pressure but the Spaniard was in fine form to deny them. World-class saves to stop Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Toby Alderweireld helped Ole Gunnar Solksjaer’s men secure a massive victory.

Dropping points will be disappointing with Mauricio Pochettino who could be faced with a much bigger problem. Kane limped off the field after a bad tackle which went unpunished and there are suggestions that the England captain could be sidelined for a while. With little to no attacking cover, Pochettino must sign a striker as soon as possible.

One man who should be on his shortlist is Ajax wonderkid – Kasper Dolberg. Valued at £15.3m by Transfermarkt, the Danish forward joined the club’s youth team back in 2015 and earned a reputation as one of Europe’s most promising youngsters. After struggling with injuries in recent seasons, Dolberg has been back to his brilliant best in the current campaign.

The 21-year-old has netted seven goals in just eight Eredivisie starts this season as well as registering one assist for his team-mates. An instinctive finisher, Dolberg shares plenty of Kane’s traits, making him the ideal man to provide cover at Wembley. Working with a world-class coach like Pochettino, who has a reputation for bringing the best out of young players, could do wonders for his development.

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Dolberg is improving with every game and help Tottenham cope in the absence of their star forward.

Tottenham fans, thoughts?