Ange Postecoglou unfazed by rivals' injuries ahead of Arsenal vs Tottenham Premier League derby

Following the absence of key players such as Bukayo Saka and Ben White, Arsenal received another blow with Gabriel Jesus joining the sidelines. The Brazil forward is suspected to have sustained an ACL injury during the FA Cup defeat to Manchester United last Sunday.

Postecoglou's side have experienced their own horror run with injuries and head to the Emirates on a run of one win in their last seven Premier League games, a sequence which has left them 12th in the table at the start of the midweek round of fixtures.

"I don't know, how much sympathy have they all had for me? I'm not really sure..." said Postecoglou when asked if he had any sympathy towards Mikel Arteta in the wake of the news of Jesus' injury.

"I certainly have empathy, that's probably a better word.

"I understand how challenging it is for any team, irrespective of the size or quality."

Since joining Spurs from Celtic in the summer of 2023, Postecoglou has lost two and drawn one of his three North London derbies in charge.

He described Wednesday's match as "as big as they ever come" and, admitting his side needed to get back to winning ways in the league quickly, said there would be "no better place to start" than at the Emirates.

"You understand it is a standalone fixture in that it means a hell of a lot to our supporters and to our club," said Postecoglou.

"So that's the focus and that is what we've got to hone in on in terms of us wanting to really bring our best performance on the day so we can make our supporters happy.

"It's like being up in Glasgow, you're well aware and know what it means and the ramifications of both the positive and negative.

"I've been on it for the first game. This year is as big as they ever come, especially for us and our season. We have to start winning games in the league and no better place to start."

Richarlison back but Werner out

Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Postecoglou offered hope that Spurs could be over the worst of their injury troubles by saying there was "hopefully some light at the end of the tunnel for us".

They will have Richarlison available for Wednesday's game for the first time since he sustained a muscle injury during a 4-1 win over Aston Villa in November, although Timo Werner will miss out with a hamstring injury.

"Only one who picked up an injury [against Tamworth in the FA Cup] was Timo. He picked up a hamstring injury," Postecoglou revealed.

"Everyone else apart from being sore pulled up OK. In terms of incoming, Richy is available."

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