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Sunday’s North London derby has been postponed due to a lack of available first-team players at Arsenal.
Mikel Arteta’s side were meant to travel to Tottenham on Sunday afternoon for a huge clash in the race for the top four.
But a combination of injuries, players competing for their countries at the Africa Cup of Nations and a coronavirus outbreak mean they do not have enough players available.
The Gunners made a request on Friday for the match to be rearranged, which the league has now accepted.
It is the second match to be cancelled this weekend after Burnley had to call off their home game with Leicester.
Arsenal released a statement on their official website that read: “We are disappointed to announce that Sunday’s north London derby at Tottenham Hotspur has been postponed.
“We know how much this match means to our fans around the world, but the Premier League has made the decision to postpone the match, due to many players across our squad currently being unavailable as a result of COVID-19, existing and recent injuries, in addition to players away with their countries at AFCON.”
The Gunners’ list of absentees is extensive, with Granit Xhaka the 12th senior player to be unavailable after his sending-off in the 0-0 draw with Liverpool in the first leg of their League Cup semi-final at Anfield.
Thomas Partey, Mohamed Elneny, Nicolas Pepe and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang left London to link up with their national teams at AFCON, although the latter is now sidelined with health problems.
Martin Odegaard is also out after contracting COVID-19, while Takehiro Tomiyasu, Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith Rowe, Calum Chambers, Sead Kolasinac and Cedric Soares are all doubts due to injury.
