Tottenham can all but end Arsenal’s Premier League title hopes this weekend when the north London rivals clash.
The Gunners will likely need to win all of their remaining games to beat Manchester City to the top-flight trophy, with the Citizens unbeaten in the league since December.
But Arsenal head into this one with confidence flowing after a 5-0 demolition of Chelsea.
Meanwhile, Spurs haven’t played a match since they were thrashed 4-0 by Newcastle on April 13.
Ange Postecoglou’s men are also chasing the Champions League, so there is a lot on the line for both teams here.
Tottenham
Guglielmo Vicario will start in goal for Tottenham.
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The Italian has easily replaced Hugo Lloris as the club’s number one and has been a solid signing for Spurs.
Micky van de Ven hopes to recover from his nightmare at St James’ Park, where he was left on the floor twice during the build-up to two goals and endured a tough afternoon on Tyneside.
However, he did score a rocket on his last appearance at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and will partner Cristian Romero in the heart of the defence.
Full-back is an issue as Postecoglou is without his main left-back, Destiny Udogie, who has been ruled out for the remainder of the season with a thigh injury.
Ryan Sessegnon is also out with a hamstring issue, meaning Ben Davies is going to have to step in.
The Welshman is experienced but has only made 16 league appearances this season.
On the other side, Pedro Porro came off against Newcastle with a hamstring tweak, so he’s doubtful.
But the extra time off should be beneficial for the Spaniard, and he has a good chance of starting.
In midfield, both Rodrigo Bentancur and Yves Bissouma were hooked early on in Spurs’ last match for Pape Matar Sarr and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.
Given Arsenal’s creativity in midfield, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Postecoglou choose a solid duo and go for Bissouma and Hojbjerg.
On the wings, Tottenham have plenty of options, but the returning Richarlison should see Heung-min Son move to the left and replace Timo Werner.
James Maddison will be in behind Richarlison, and Dejan Kulusevski has the craft and guile needed to open up the Arsenal defence, so he should be in for Brennan Johnson.
Arsenal
David Raya is set to start in goal for Arsenal after surpassing Aaron Ramsdale as the number one and proving to be an excellent goalkeeper.
Three of the back four pick themselves, with Ben White at right-back.
William Saliba will partner Gabriel in the centre of defence, with left-back the only defensive position up for debate.
Takehiro Tomiyasu started there on Tuesday, but Mikel Arteta also has Jakub Kiwior and Oleksandr Zinchenko.
In midfield, Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard are certain to play.
They’ve both been crucial this season and have also been available more often than not.
This leaves one position and there are two standout candidates.
One is Thomas Partey, the Ghanaian is just coming back to full fitness and played well against the Blues in midweek, and the other is Jorginho.
The Italian has started a lot of key games for the Gunners this year and has turned in some top displays.
Given Partey’s injury worries, Jorginho is likely to come into the team.
Moving onto the forward line, Bukayo Saka will start on the right.
The England man has played almost every match this season for his side, so he isn’t going to sit out the north London derby.
Kai Havertz scored twice in midweek against his former club and should lead the line again, leaving the left-wing spot open.
Leandro Trossard has scored in his last two Premier League games from that position but Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus are knocking on the door.
Martinelli would give the Gunners some much-needed pace on the counter-attack and is a direct threat, while Jesus would provide more control and incisive build-up play.
On this occasion, we can see Jesus starting over the other two because of his ability to link play and create chances.
News Summary:
- Tottenham vs Arsenal team news and predicted line-ups: Udogie out and Porro doubtful as Arteta faces selection headache
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