Tottenham Hotspur host Arsenal in a huge North London.
For every Spurs fan this is the one game of the season we have to win no matter what. Not just for the bragging rights but to keep our growing momentum going forward. Having booked our spot in the Capital One Cup Final, we then did a job on West Brom, cruising to a 3-0 win, it is imperative that we win to keep our great run going.
And a lot of the responsibility falls on Harry Kane and Christian Eriksen, who are proving to be reliable match-winners and they combined to fire the Lilywhites past West Bromwich Albion this past Saturday.
Kane’s 20-goal haul in all competitions this season actually eclipses that of every other Premier League player, so the club will have been delighted to tie him down to a new long-term deal.
One player who has started to become a key factor in our recent upturn has been Mousa Dembele. The talented Belgian who we’ve all had high expectations of but hasn’t ever fulfilled them, but more recently, he’s adapted more to the new system and has been impressive in out last two outings and his physical presence and strength could be key in disturbing Arsenal’s tactics.
They rely on short passing through the midfield to build-up play and the likes of Dembele/Mason/Bentaleb will be key in disrupting their rhythm and not allowing to build up from the back and putting pressure on them early on.
Good news, Nabil Bentaleb is back from the AFCON and is likely to slot in alongside Ryan Mason. The duo have formed a superb partnership in midfield together this season and they are so key to our play as displayed in many of our victories this season.
Federico Fazio is also likely to be recalled to partner Jan Vertonghen at CB where the duo have only lost twice out of twenty games together. Their chemistry will make it tough for Arsenal to break the back four down.
Normally I would be nervous ahead of Derby Day, but I feel very confident in our team right now and can’t see anything other than a Spurs win! Harry Kane will have a field day and score twice and Eriksen will be controlling the pace of the game and probably score from a Free-Kick… again, I reckon we will win 3-1. Come On You Spurs!
Prediction: Spurs 3-1 Arsenal
