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Arsenal clinched a huge victory over Bournemouth in midweek ahead of the highly anticipated North London derby. Meanwhile, their arch-rivals, Tottenham, fell to a 2-0 defeat to Chelsea. The loss effectively ended Tottenham's hopes of competing for the title with the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City. Now, they join the race for a top-four finish with the Gunners.
If the Gunners were to win, it would bring the points difference to just one between Spurs and the Gunners. If Arsenal were to lose, other teams such as Chelsea and Manchester United could catch up and continue to give Tottenham some pressure.
Nevertheless, as more Arsenal players come back from injury and have some confidence in themselves, they could be en route to a victory in the North London derby. The Lilywhites have lost two consecutive games in the PL this week, first to Burnley and then to Chelsea. If Gunners want to secure all three points, there are three attacking players that must start.
Let's take a look at them:
#3 Henrikh Mkhitaryan
While Alexis Sanchez continues to struggle in the United team, Mkhitaryan is finally starting to flourish and find his former self under Unai Emery. The Armenian had been one of the most influential midfielders during his time at Borussia Dortmund. His move to Old Trafford did not go well and that eventually led to a swap move between him and Sanchez.
Mkhitaryan has made his mark in two consecutive games, netting one against Southampton and another against Bournemouth. Besides scoring goals, the midfielder has also been able to show his creative side, much to the excitement of fans.
One thing great about Mkhitaryan is that he never stops trying. As long as he has the ball, he charges forward in an attempt to create something or find the net.
Since returning from injury, the 30-year-old appears to have been revived. Previously, his attempts to create something for the team often had not gone right.
He seemed to lack communication with the rest of his team in the early part of the season. Now, he is in such a great form that it is hard to drop him from the starting line-up.
#2 Mesut Ozil
Unai Emery has refused to promise anyone that Ozil would start in the clash against Tottenham. The German has played more in recent days and clearly, he is having an impact on each of those occasions. Alex Iwobi commended his fellow team-mate's efforts during their Europa League turn-around game at the Emirates, saying:
We scored three goals as a result of him playing. I know if I make a run he has the vision to find me. Hopefully he can keep on playing.
Those were the words from Iwobi, and it goes to show that everyone on the team values Ozil and knows his importance. Furthermore, Ozil proved his importance in the most recent win against Bournemouth. Without him, Arsenal probably would not have engineered such a huge win.
It is time for Emery to start Ozil after all the controversies that have been surrounding the manager and the player. Should the pass master start, he would give Tottenham all sorts of trouble.
His vision and accuracy in passing could be something that Spurs will struggle to cope with. Most importantly, fans have seen how well he can work with Mkhitaryan playing alongside him.
The two creative midfielders have proven that they can start together despite their preference over the same playing position. It is clear that Ozil must start for Arsenal to win the derby.
#3 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
At last, Aubameyang's hard work was rewarded, with a goal against Bournemouth. He has been trying hard almost every game, but at times, found it hard to get his name on the score sheet. The former Dortmund striker has adapted well to the demands of the PL and is even in the race for the Golden Boot award alongside the likes of Sergio Aguero and Harry Kane.
Although Alexandre Lacazette is also having a good run of games, the Frenchman lacks the lightning pace that Aubameyang has. We have seen how the Gabonese utilizes his speed to spin off the shoulders of an opposition to score once the right pass is made to him.
His lethal speed is making him one of the best strikers in EPL and surely, no team would be eager to face him.
At the same time, comparing between him and Lacazette, the latter is a more effective game changer when he comes off the bench. In the previous match, the French striker came on as a substitute and still managed to score.
Both strikers offer different talents and skills and it will be great if the Gunners can deploy both of them in the starting XI. However, with the need to include more defensive reinforcements, it could mean that only one of them would get to start. Aubameyang has a slight advantage and that lies with the pace that he has.
