One of the fiercest rivalries in the top tier of the Premier League will have its latest chapter this week. Tottenham will play host to bitter rivals Arsenal with a little more than just bragging rights on the line. This match will essentially decide Spurs Champions League hopes. Antonio Conte’s men sit in fifth place, four points behind Arsenal, heading into this one.
Last weekend Spurs picked up a massive result away from home. Against the juggernaut that is Liverpool, Conte’s men did what many sides have gone to Merseyside and failed to do this season, come away with a point. South Korean superstar Heung Min-son opened the scoring to shock the Liverpool home support just before the hour mark.
And if it wasn’t for an unlucky deflection, The Lily Whites might just have walked away with all three points.
If Tottenham wishes to keep their top four dreams alive, they’ll need a bug performance from Harry Kane. Lucky for Spurs, Kane loves playing against Arsenal. England’s number nine is the highest scorer in North London derbies in the Premier League era.
His eleven goals put him one ahead of the controversial Emmanuel Adebayor at the top of the North London Derby scorers’ chart.
Tottenham vs Arsenal
When is it? Thursday, May 12th, 2022 7.45 PM UK Time.
Where is it? Tottenham Stadium, London.
Who’s in form? Tottenham (WLDWD) Arsenal (DWWWW)
What are the odds? Tottenham (+115) Arsenal (+240) Draw (+250)
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Starting XI Prediction: Tottenham Arsenal
Starting XI Prediction
As I mentioned in the Spurs team news piece, Antonio Conte has a pretty settled starting XI at the moment. Don’t worry, we are going to run through it, anyway.
Hugo Lloris starts in between the sticks for Spurs. The Frenchman has started and captained the squad in every league fixture this season. If he doesn’t start here, I will eat my hat.
The back three will remain the same trio that started on Merseyside. That means Eric Dier anchors, with Cristian Romero and Ben Davies playing either side of him. Emerson Royal starts at right-wing-back. At left-wing-back will be Ryan Sessegnon. I rode hard for the English youngster early in the season, and I am glad that he is getting starts. He is also having a positive impact on Antonio Conte’s side.
Rodrigo Bentancur and Pierre Emile Hojbjerg will start in the middle of the park. The duo has developed a nice partnership since the Uruguayan made the move from Italy.
The attack will be arguably the most in form trio in the league at the moment. Dejan Kulusevski starts on the right of the attack. Heung Min-son starts on the left wing. The South Korean has taken his game to another level this season and he will be a constant threat to the Gunners’ back line. In the center of this holy trinity will be Harry Kane. The England captain loves scoring against Arsenal. The smart money is on him doing it yet again in this match.
Stuey Predicts
This is tricky. Arsenal has won their last four matches on the bounce, but has not been convincing with their performances. Tottenham’s form line isn’t as pretty, but their performances have been arguably better. Getting a point at Anfield is as good as a win, and I expect Spurs to take that performance and build on it with a 1-0 victory over Arsenal.
Stuart Kavanagh is an up-and-coming sports journalist from Melbourne, Australia. Along with being the owner of the sports and entertainment website thepyrrhic.com, he is also the co-host of the ‘After Extra Time’ podcast. Football mad, he is always down for debate and discussion at @stueyissickofit on Twitter.