Can Saka deliver the goals and assists for depleted Gunners and make history on 230th game?

Arsenal fans will be banking on their star boy, Bukayo Saka to score for the third straight game against Tottenham in the 196th London derby on Sunday at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium.

The Gunners are hugely depleted going to the home of their bitter, north London rival with the confirmed absence of midfeilders, Declan Rice (red card), Mikel Merino (injury) and Martin Qdegaard (injury) as well as defender, Riccardo Calafiori but Mikel Arteta, like Gooners, will also want Saka to step up and make the difference.

The Nigeria-born England international has won five of the nine games he has played against Tottenham and scored in his last two games against their host, including the 3-2 win last in April.

Overall, Saka has scored twice and provided two assists to make Spurs the second side after Liverpool that he has had the most goal involvements against. Even at the U18 level, the 23 year old was prolific, netting three goals and bagged two assists in just three games.

Albeit the Opta supercomputer makes Arsenal favourites for Sunday’s derby, giving them a 43% chance of victory over Tottenham, Arteta knows Saka, who will be making his 230th appearance for Arsenal can do the manage.

If he scores and bags an assist like he did in Arsenal’s 3-1 win against Tottenham in September 2021, the ‘Nigerian’ will be making history as the fourth Premier League player to assist a goal in each of a team’s first four games after Thierry Henry (2004/05), Cesc Fabregas (2014/15) and Kevin De Bruyne (2019/20).