Tottenham-Arsenal postponed due to lack of Gunners available

The match of the 22nd day of the Premier League between Tottenham and Arsenal was scheduled for Sunday January 16 at 5.30 p.m. But the meeting was postponed due to numerous absences in the Gunners squad, due to Covid but not only.

Unable to provide a group of 14 players (including a goalkeeper), Arsenal obtained this Saturday the postponement of its Premier League match scheduled for Sunday against Tottenham. The new date of this London derby will be announced soon.

>> Subscribe to RMC Sport offers to watch the Premier League

During the week, Martin Odegaard tested positive and had to forfeit just before the English League Cup semi-final first leg against Liverpool (0-0). But the Premier League specifies that the packages in the ranks of Arsenal are not only due to the coronavirus.

« We were ready », said Arteta

The Gunners also suffer from numerous injuries (Cedric Soares, Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith-Rowe and Takehiro Tomiyasu), but also from the absence of their internationals currently playing in the African Cup of Nations (Thomas Partey, Mohamed Elneny, Nicolas Pepe and Pierre -Emerick Aubameyang). However, the organizer of the English championship recalls that all clubs have the right to request the postponement of a match, if the Covid-19 represents a « factor » of the request. According to Sky Sports, the management of Tottenham is nevertheless very annoyed by this postponement, noting that the opponent does not suffer from a focus of epidemic of coronavirus.

« What today is very unlikely can perfectly happen tomorrow. It has already happened in one direction when we were ready to play a game (…) It can happen in the other direction. But our intention remains always to play », said the coach, Mikel Arteta, questioned on Friday.

Another match of this 22nd day of the Premier League had already been postponed: Burnley-Leicester, which was to be held on Saturday afternoon. The English weekend, opened with the 1-1 draw between Brighton and Crystal Palace, ends on Sunday with the kick-off at 3 p.m. from Liverpool-Brentford (RMC Sport 1) and West Ham-Leeds (RMC Sport 2) .