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Soccer

Premier League winner advises Arsenal on how to fill Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard absences in North London derby

Premier League winner advises Arsenal on how to fill Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard absences in North London derbyGetty

The North London derby comes at a challenging time for Arsenal, with captain Martin Odegaard and midfielder Declan Rice both unavailable for the match at Tottenham.

Rice will miss out due to a pair of yellow cards he was shown in the Gunners' last league match, while Odegaard suffered an injury on international duty with Norway and may miss several weeks.

Both men are highly influential in Mikel Arteta's starting XI, forcing the manager to make changes for the game against Spurs.

For Emannuel Petit, who played three seasons for Arsenal and won a double with the club in 1998, there are options available to Arteta to utilise.

However, Petit feels a player like Rice may prove exceedingly tough to replace.

"Of course, Arsenal are going to miss him against Spurs," Petit told topoffshoresportsbooks.com. "Declan Rice is a Londoner. He was playing for West Ham, so he knows how important the derbies are in London. It’s a massive game.

"He will be gutted that he can’t be involved. Last season, when Arsenal won at Spurs, he was magnificent on the pitch. There will be midfield changes given Rice and Odegaard’s absences, and [Mikel] Merino’s unavailability. 

"I think Arteta will put Jorginho in as the holding midfielder, possibly with [Thomas] Partey in there alongside him. One of those two will definitely play, it depends how he wants to approach the game. [Kai] Havertz can drop into the midfield if he plays one of the holders, and then that could open up a place for [Leandro] Trossard up front.

"With Merino, Odegaard and [Gabriel] Jesus injured, his options are a bit limited."

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