I'd fancy our chances with them not having Son. He's that good. He's their poor man's Salah at times. A full strength and fairly rested Arsenal squad right now can hold themselves against any one in the league for a time if not the whole match.

Still, NLDs are tricky, passion, referees thinking they are the main attraction, the crowd, anything can and does happen.

I'd rather not face Son if its all the same to you....haha.

We have 12 players off now.

Get it played. There are always going to be easy excuses in a season like this, affected as it has been by Covid / ACN - and there are always particular issues at this time of the year. We're not alone.

I think their best player by a distance is Son and I'd prefer to take them on without him. Also, on Saka, he has a habit of looking crocked for the season then coming back fresh as a daisy for the next game.

We have a season mercifully free of mid-week commitments. We should capitalise on that advantage. Postponed games just lead to confusion and fixture chaos.

EDIT

Seems this has legs.

"It has now been confirmed that Arsenal are in talks with the Premier League over the fixture."

https://dailycannon.com/2022/01/north-london-derby-postponement/

It'd be a shame.

We only have the league left aside from next week againest Liverpool and to play spurs away without saka, Tommy, partey & possibly Emile Smith Rowe and Ødegaard would be really difficult

I think I may be coming around to the same inevitable conclusion, TG. I hadn't realised our list of unavailable players was quite so long.

It'd be a great shame though. I've had my arrangements in place for a while and I've been looking forward to the occasion all season. But my losses and disruption will pale into insignificance when set against the poor sods who are right now jetting in from all over the world for the NLD.

Looks as though the NLD Sunday maybe called off. Too many players unavailable. Test results will determine obviously. Rather this match goes ahead just to get it over with.
Wouldn't like this Sunday call off impacting second leg of EFL.

Yes the rules are unclear and ridiculous but at least if our game got called off it would be consistent with other teams who have had games called off.

Yeah, definitely not saying we'd be the first one to hide behind the rules. Though I'm genuinely curious if any team has had a game postponed because of one single covid case?

I've seen a few people blog or post about our support this season and the connection with the fans, and that they seem to be surrounded by a much younger following for The Arsenal. It's great if that's true because there was a danger that with us not being a title chasing or even CL team for a while now that we might lose these younger fans to other clubs - I'm sure that has happened a fair bit especially with the rise of Chelsea and City.

I wonder if the new younger Arsenal- particularly with players like Saka and Smith Rowe, local academy players who younger fans can instantly identify with has a big factor in this next generation of support. Even little things like the interaction and energy Ramsdale brings help. Also, I don't know if its confirmation bias but our players do seem to go to the fans a lot more post games, lots more shirts thrown to the crowd etc. I think something like the reaction at full time to the City home defeat would have been amazing for the players - to know your fans cheer and applaud you off the pitch after losing in the 93rd minute.

Pessimists and fans of other clubs would use this as some way to beat the club down as they'd say it 'shows how far we've fallen', but I'd ignore that and just look forward and be excited about the future of the club.

I think Arteta deserves his contract and I hope the board back him and Edu with the money they need to have another summer like we had last year, because another one like that and we could be really on our way back challenging.

We’ve got two if you count Aubameyang.

Seems Edu and Co. missed the 12 noon registration loan signing deadline today for new midfielder Arthur Melo to even play in the NLD.
According to the registration PL rules anyway.

The whole scenario of games getting postponed for spurious reasons has been a disgrace. But there is no way the PL can turn down our request given that they've granted all the others.

They are going to turn it down aren’t they

Paranoia will reach breitbart levels.

I mean, we're probably not going to have him start against Tottenham away without a single training session with the team anyway.

Huge game at a prime 4.30pm kick off for the sky cameras with no other games at that time. I think they'll make us play.
If they do it wouldn't surprise me if some of the players we're saying are injured will play, and of course everyone will crucify us - but I suspect many, many footballers play injured but we're using those slight injuries to enhance our case for getting the game called off.

It's not different to what other clubs are doing, so while I think the rules are bonkers I put zero blame on the club for this. Their job is to put us in the best position to win games, and clearly they feel that's what they're doing.

Well as of now I'd suspect that getting the NLD called off took prority. So a pre-training session wouldn't be feasible. Allegri rather Melo not go out on loan to Arsenal anyway.

It wouldn't be a shock if we were turned down though. Not looking for excuses, but if the club has a very good case to have it called off, so be it. There was no hesitation for the Burnley-Leicester match being called off. I'm assuming this is only the second time off request the club has submitted, being the Brentford match beginning of the season was turned down.

Time to write another glorious chapter in the Clubs history perhaps ; hard on the heels of our Warsaw Ghetto moment at Anfield ,

Arsenal wracked by injuries , Covid and suspensions , having missed the loan deadline .......who do they call ? .... Jack Wilshere
He has been training with us ; so not totally out of condition .

Think of the storyline ... Aging gnarled old hero plucked from the wilderness to vanquish their bitter most hated enemy .... classic Roy of the Rovers stuff .

No Pyrrhic victory here Decaf .... this would be Patten entering Berlin atop a Sherman waving his twin pearl handled Colts in all directions .

Spurs are reportedly annoyed at arsenal asking for the game to be called off, potentially because of the late timing…..which is quite rich for a team who let Rennes fly to London before they told them they asked for the game to be called off

Good spot.

Clowns. Media darlings who never actually do anything. One single trophy in the 21st century.

I’m with DHD on this and hope it isn’t postponed. It would be far better to play them without Son and I suspect Rich is right when I think he said if it is played, lots of our supposedly injured players will somehow make miraculous recoveries and be on the pitch this Sunday.

Richter scale 10 level

Same here I'm a bit of Que Sera Sera person ....... get on with it .

It does have a bit of a win / win for us .

We lose .... " Oh well so what ; we had to field a severely under strength team . "

We win .... "we rolled you knobs with our reserves ""

Wow. Well, I understand. I fancy a full strength or near full strength Arsenal against the same for Sperz right now. Although Son and Kane scare me to death.

Unavoidable I guess but I worry about too many games near each other with all this re-scheduling.

I’m certain the FA will make us play. I think there has been too much pressure from the media now. Neville and Carragher had a bit rant about it last night, Neville said ‘I should have spoken out about this a few weeks ago’ - well you didn’t Gary and two of our direct rivals for a top 4 spot and our cup semi final opponents have benefitted from postponements with no questions asked or thresholds tested.

Burnley had their game called off, Burnley have a small squad but I don’t think there is anything in the rules that says clubs must have a big squad and conduct their transfer window business in a way to ensure any postponements are avoided.

I really hope you’re right.

The main arguments I’ve seen in the media are:

Arsenal have loaned players and now find themselves short - Burnley sold Wood and got their postponement agreed

Arsenal can’t cite AFCON as a reason. Leicester did and got their postponement request agreed

Arsenal should just play their U23’s. Arsenal U23 had a game last night!

To be honest I don’t care whether we play the game or not, what I care about is the fairness of the competition. The precedents have been set and there is no reason the rule should suddenly change for us. Of course we weren’t allowed postponements at the start of the season either. To see other teams totally game the system to their advantage and our disadvantage would really stick in the throat of our game isn’t also called off.

If they make us play then Arteta needs a Graham-esque speach to the squad a la ‘91 when we were docked those 2 points

I understand you are excited about going but with 13 fit players and 2 of them keepers we will inevitably get Smashed to pieces if it does go ahead.

I’d rather watch a live sex show starring my grandparents than go to the Lane and watch that

Also that would put spurs in prime position for fourth.

I’ve obviously a lot more confidence than you in our players. As even Rich admitted, I have little or no doubt that a number of our supposedly injured players will suddenly regain their fitness and be in the squad for the game.

Tottenham have two outstanding players: Kane and Son. Maybe three with Lloris and I’d rather Leno than him, let alone Ramsdale. Son would miss the game if it’s tomorrow. I think we can get a positive result against Tottenham without Son.

I just don’t get the fuss some of you are making about this.

If we can put out the following team, even if a few are carrying a niggle or are 80% fit:
Ramsdale, Tomiyasu, Holding, Gabriel, Tierney, White, Lokonga, Saka, Martinelli, Emile Smith Rowe, Lacazette then play the game and I’d be confident of beating Spurs.

However there are doubts over Tomiyasu, Saka, Emile Smith Rowe - that’s huge for us.

I’d rather all teams just played the games but the frustration for me would be forcing us to play when others have been allowed to postpone. If we play the game there is no doubt for me that it’s the influence of sky who wouldn’t want their prime NLD game outlined, just as they didn’t want the Friday match v Brentford gone on the first day of the season

I read that Tierney won’t play either

I saw that one - don't bother...

Couldn't care less if the NLD is postponed but have to say Spurs have played six matches since Boxing Day and we have played four. If the fixture schedule is not changed then by end of January we will have played six matches against the nine of Spurs. Hard to see how any decision to go ahead tomorrow is that bad for us? Even if they beat us Spurs have another game coming up on Wednesday.

On the wider point I agree with Neville that games should not be postponed because clubs have players injured, banned or away on international duty.

The issue you have is there is too much football anyway, chuck in AFCON and that’s a major hit… add covid another major hit and players coming out of isolation not training and being asked to play immediately. It’s ridiculous

How much football has saka played recently. It can’t be a shock he’s picked up a knock

Here's an interview about our match from a top FA official.

It’s a 6 pointer. They go above us with 2 games in hand. It would make it highly unlikely we would finish above them.

The fact that Arsenal were happy to support liverpools request for postponement and spurs aren’t tells you all you need to know about the class of the clubs involved