The international break has provided Tottenham Hotspur boss Thomas Frank with a two-week break to prepare for the North London derby clash with Arsenal next weekend in the Premier League.
Spurs were held to a 2-2 draw with Manchester United last time out in the top-flight, thanks to a last-gasp Matthijs de Ligt goal, and they have only won one of their last four matches in all competitions.
This means that the Lilywhites will need to improve their performance if they want to come away with a result against their bitter rivals, and the Premier League’s current leaders.
Whilst the international break has provided the coaching staff with more time to prepare for the match, it has also thrown up a potentially disruptive injury to one of Frank’s key players.
Pape Matar Sarr had to go off in the second half of Senegal’s clash with Brazil, ironically, at The Emirates with an injury, and it remains to be seen how serious a blow that is.
The latest Spurs injury news ahead of the North London derby
It is fair to say that the Lilywhites have had their fair share of injury issues in the 2025/26 campaign, as they currently have 11 players who are either out or about to return from injury, not including Sarr.
James Maddison is the one player who will certainly not be returning to action any time soon, as the England international suffered an ACL injury in pre-season that will keep him out until next year.
James Maddison
Cruciate ligament tear
01/06/2026
Dejan Kulusevski
Knee injury
28/11/2025
Radu Dragusin
Cruciate ligament tear
21/11/2025
Kota Takai
Foot injury
21/11/2025
Yves Bissouma
Knee injury
21/11/2025
Dominic Solanke
Ankle injury
21/11/2025
Ben Davies
Hamstring injury
21/11/2025
Archie Gray
Calf injury
21/11/2025
Lucas Bergvall
Head injury
21/11/2025
Mohammed Kudus
Unknown
21/11/2025
Randal Kolo Muani
Head injury
21/11/2025
As you can see in the table above, Tottenham have a host of players who Transfermarkt suggests could return for the North London derby, but that is their prediction and has yet to be confirmed by Frank or the club.
It has been reported, for example, that Randal Kolo Muani could be out for up to eight weeks with his jaw injury, which means that it would be surprising to see him return next weekend.
Senegal boss Pape Thiaw claimed that the injury was not a “big deal”, suggesting that there will be no long-term lay-off, but Spurs must prepare for the possibility that they will not have Sarr available, or at least ready to start, against the Gunners.
The Senegal international has started six of his ten appearances in the Premier League so far this season, per Sofascore, and his absence would leave a hole to fill in the middle of the park.
Lucas Bergvall would have been in contention to take Sarr’s place in midfield after returning to the Sweden squad for the international break, but he was excused from international duty after suffering a setback in his return from a concussion.
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This suggests that the 19-year-old central midfielder will either be unavailable for selection or lacking in match fitness, having not played since the clash with Chelsea on the first day of the month.
With this in mind, Spurs could ease the blow dealt by this potential injury to Sarr by unleashing experienced campaigner Rodrigo Bentancur alongside Joao Palhinha against Arsenal.
Why Spurs must unleash Rodrigo Bentancur against Arsenal
Playing the Uruguay international alongside the summer signing from Bayern Munich may not be the most popular suggestion, as there have been complaints from some supporters that it is a bit of a negative pairing.
Bentancur ranks within the bottom 38% of midfielders in the top five leagues and European competitions for progressive passes per 90 (4.13) over the past 365 days, whilst Palhinha ranks in the bottom 7% with 2.92 progressive passes per 90, per FBref.
This suggests that the perception that this midfield pairing lacks progression in possession is a fair one, but it is defensive quality that Spurs will need against Arsenal, who are top of the Premier League and have scored 20 goals in 11 matches.
Therefore, playing the £75k-per-week star next to Palhinha could be the way to go next weekend, particularly if Sarr and Bergvall are not 100% ready to start after their respective issues.
The former Juventus midfielder, described as a “mentality monster” by one analyst, came off the bench against Manchester United last time out, but started eight of his first nine appearances in the Premier League this season, per Sofascore, which shows how much Frank has relied on him.
Tackles
2.14
Top 43%
Interceptions
1.83
Top 2%
Tackles + interceptions
3.97
Top 14%
Blocks
1.52
Top 16%
Passes blocked
1.02
Top 27%
Clearances
2.64
Top 8%
Aerial duels won
1.92
Top 10%
As you can see in the table above, Bentancur ranks very highly among his positional peers in a host of key defensive metrics in the top five leagues in Europe and European competitions over the past year.
These statistics illustrate the defensive quality that he can provide in front of the back four alongside Palhinha, which is further evidenced by the club’s return of seven clean sheets in the 16 games that they have been on the pitch at the same time this season, per FBref.
This suggests that Spurs may have their best chance of keeping Arsenal at bay by playing Bentancur and Palhinha at the base of the midfield to protect Cristian Romero and Micky van De Ven next weekend.
Whilst they may not provide the youthful energy that Bergvall and Sarr bring to the team, the experienced midfield pairing could be a solid option to go with if the aforementioned duo are not available or fit enough to start.
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