Arsenal v Tottenham final team news with 3 doubts and 12 outs amid Riccardo Calafiori update

It was not a vintage round of FA Cup action for either Arsenal or Tottenham Hotspur ahead of a midweek North London derby.

The Gunners were knocked out of the tournament on penalties by Premier League rivals Manchester United while Spurs needed extra time to get the better of National League outfit Tamworth.

The Gunners host Ange Postecoglou's side on Wednesday night as the Aussie looks for revenge after a 1-0 defeat to Mikel Arteta in front of a home crowd in September.

Arsenal team news

The latest injury blow for Arsenal comes in news that striker Gabriel Jesus suffered an expected ACL injury in the FA Cup defeat to Manchester United. The Brazil international limped off before half-time and will endure a period on the sidelines.

Arteta said: "We know more now. It is not looking good at all. We need to review with one more specialist and will have better information this afternoon. I don't want to confirm anything until we have the final report this afternoon. We were very worried after the game and we are very worried today."

Bukayo Saka continues to be a big miss for the Gunners and isn't expected back from the hamstring injury he picked up against Crystal Palace until March. In an update on his tribulation, Arteta said: "He's been around a lot. It's great to have him. There's always a smile on his face. He's going through a period that is unknown for him because he has never been injured for such a long time.

"We have discussed the things we can do together and the things he can do to use the time in the right way to make him a better person, to make sure that he spends the time adequately with the opportunity that he has, so that when he comes back he is in the right place."

Arteta had turned to impressive youngster Ethan Nwaneri to fill in for Saka in recent weeks but now the 17-year-old is also sidelined. Arteta said: "He didn't really know, to be fair. He said, 'I am feeling something but I don't really know what it is'.

"He has earned the right to step up and play for us and now he has started some games - some big games - and impacted those games in the way he has done, in different positions too.

"I am gutted for him because the injury is going to stop that, but it is another step in that development phase that he is in. I am really happy with the way he is going."

Full-backs Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu are longer term lay-offs with knee injuries and aren't in contention to return this week. Riccardo Calafiori didn’t make the squad against the Red Devils with a minor muscle problem, but still needs another ‘day or two’ to recover.

Doubts - Riccardo Calafiori. Outs - Gabriel Jesus, Bukayo Saka, Ethan Nwaneri, Ben White, Takehiro Tomiyasu.

Tottenham Hotspur team news

Rodrigo Bentancur wasn't in the matchday squad to face Tamworth after he sustained a concussion against Liverpool. The midfielder is due another week absent as per protocols.

Ange Postecoglou said: "It looks like a concussion but nothing more than that. He was in the hospital, obviously, and they did all of the tests in terms of checking, making sure everything is okay.

"And all good. He is back home. He is fine. He is feeling good. We'll obviously follow the protocols now. I think it is a couple of weeks where you have to make sure everything is okay.

"It was distressing and you saw, especially Pedro (Porro) who was the first one there, kind of knew it was a distressing situation. I thought the lads handled it well and the medical team handled it well. As I said, thankfully it's all good."

Fraser Forster has been battling an illness and is a doubt for the derby, having also been absent against Tamworth. Ahead of the Liverpool game, Posgecoglou confirmed that the goalkeeper was 'still bed-ridden and struggling with it'. Meanwhile, Destiny Udogie was forced off against Wolves at the end of December and is facing a number of weeks on the sidelines with a hamstring injury.

Providing an update about the player earlier this month, Postecoglou said: “I think it was a hamstring. Again, like I said, we’ve been relying on a core group of players because we just haven’t had the ability to rotate so at some point it was going to catch up with us. Unfortunately, it caught up with Destiny.”

Micky Van de Ven picked up an injury against Chelsea at the start of December and has been a huge miss for Spurs. The defender is now nearing a return with Postecoglou earmarking the end of January as a potential return date for the defender. Cristian Romero is in a similar position.

Ben Davies was expected back at the end of 2024 but suffered a setback in his recovery from a hamstring problem in training. Speaking at the end of December, Postecoglou said: "No, he's ruled out. Unfortunately, he had a setback in training, so he's probably out for another couple of weeks. It's a similar injury, he tried to come back in training, but it didn't work out."

Guglielmo Vicario remains sidelined with an ankle injury and Wilson Odobert is a long-term lay-off. Richarlison is edging closer and closer to a return from a hamstring injury but the Arsenal match may come too soon.

Doubts - Fraser Forster, Richarlison. Outs - Rodrigo Bentancur, Destiny Udogie, Micky Van de Ven, Cristian Romero, Ben Davies, Guglielmo Vcario, Wilson Odobert.