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Soccer

Alan Shearer makes prediction for North London derby

Alan Shearer makes prediction for North London derby(C)Getty Images

The North London derby is the glamour match of the weekend as the Premier League returns after the international break, and Alan Shearer believes neither side will come out on top.

Arsenal visit Tottenham on Sunday and will be missing influential midfielders Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard due to suspension and injury, respectively. Those absences may be too big to overcome for the Gunners, according to Shearer, and a new member of the Spurs side could be presented with an opportunity to make an immediate impact for his new club.

"The North London derby is a huge one in the Premier League," Shearer told Betfair. "Derby games are great to play in because you can get away with a little bit more, the referees are a little more lenient, and they understand what it means to coaches, players and fans.

"If of course, Martin Odegaard is ruled [out] that's bad news for Arsenal but very good for Tottenham because Odegaard and Rice are two of Arsenal's big hitters so to go into a game of this size without them, it would be tough for Arsenal.

"Hopefully Dominic Solanke is deemed fit for this one, because what a great way to introduce himself to the Tottenham fans if he could make the difference in his first derby game, to make a huge statement in a game of this size.

"The key to this game for me is will Spurs improve in forward positions. It's something Ange Postecoglou will want to work on in terms of having more killer instinct when they do have the ball because on the evidence I saw, they'll have to improve massively.

"These games are always really tight, and with the potential injury news for Arsenal, there may not be a lot between the two teams, so I’m tempted to go for a score-draw in this one."

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