Arsenal warned about Antonio Conte trap for north London derby

The bitter north London rivals will meet for a high-stakes derby on Saturday at the Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal should avoid playing on possession against Tottenham as that could put them right into Antonio Conte’s trap, according to Chris Sutton.

Mikel Arteta’s table-topping outfit host the unbeaten third-placed Spurs at the Emirates on Saturday. One point is all that lies between the two north London clubs, meaning there is everything to play for in this derby.

But Sutton feels Arsenal’s possession-based approach could be their undoing against Conte’s counter-attacking Spurs side.

“Arsenal will look to control Saturday’s north London derby. They will want to keep the ball and take the game to Tottenham,” the former Chelsea striker wrote in his Daily Mail column.

“But that risks playing into Antonio Conte’s hands. He loves it when his team can sit tight and strike on the counter. It’s a specialty of Conte’s. With Son Heung-min now finding form, they could do damage to Arsenal.”

Tottenham, though, might be without attacking midfielder Dejan Kulusevski for the derby. The 22-year-old Sweden international reportedly has a hamstring injury.