It’s the big North London derby between Tottenham and Arsenal, and this one has more importance than most others. Spurs can leapfrog Arsenal with a win here, whilst Arsenal could move five ahead of Spurs if they take all three points from White Hart Lane. The result of this match could go a long way. Here is the team news and predicted line-up.
Team News:
Once again, Mauricio Pochettino reports that he has a fully fit squad that he can pick his starting eleven from, and Nabil Bentaleb returns to action after Algeria’s exit from the African Cup Of Nations.
Predicted Line-Up (4-2-3-1):
Goalkeeper: Hugo Lloris:
Hugo has pulled off some excellent saves to keep us in many games this season, and has probably won just as many points as the likes of Christian Eriksen and Harry Kane this season with the amount of points he has saved. He will have to be in fine form to keep Arsenal out for the whole ninety minutes.
Defence: Kyle Walker, Federico Fazio, Jan Vertonghen, Danny Rose:
I expect Mauricio Pochettino to keep the same back line as he does for most games. It has stayed solid and worked quite well as a unit. However, I can see the reasons behind the Argentine changed the defensive unit for this game. Federico Fazio is not the fastest defender that the club have, and this will not help when a through ball is played, and although Olivier Giroud is not the fastest, other midfielders that may burst onto the scene certainly are.
Midfield (Holding): Nabil Bentaleb, Ryan Mason:
The return of Nabil Bentaleb will be a huge boost to the Tottenham side, and after hearing that he returned to training on Tuesday, and is in peak physical condition, I feel that he will start. After showing some good form on international duty, Bentaleb will be key for Spurs over the next few weeks.
Midfield (Attacking): Erik Lamela, Mousa Dembele, Christian Eriksen:
I think that Pochettino could do some shuffling among the attacking three. Mousa Dembele has shown some good form recently, and could start in the middle ahead of Christian Eriksen, who could be deployed on the left. Nacer Chadli has returned after his family problems, but Pochettino could name him on the bench once again, with Dane filling in for the Belgian. Erik Lamela could also be given another chance on the right wing.
Striker: Harry Kane:
There is nobody else I could really name up top for Spurs to be perfectly honest. His goals have been crucial to us this season, and should we pick up a North London derby day win against Arsenal, Harry Kane will surly be on the scoresheet.
