Tottenham Hotspur will hope to complete a perfect week with a massive victory over Arsenal in this afternoon’s North London derby at Emirates Stadium.
Spurs beat Aston Villa on Monday to continue their unbeaten Premier League run, and then knocked off Anderlecht at home to boost their Europa League campaign.
Another win would take Spurs to within two points of their local rivals near the top of the table. So who will Mauricio Pochettino put his trust in for such a big game? This is how we expect the white half of North London to line up…
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GK: Hugo Lloris
Tottenham’s skipper did not play in the Capital One Cup tie between the sides in September. Michel Vorm’s error was crucial that day as the Gunners won 2-1. Can Lloris make the difference?
RB: Kyle Walker
The England international will return to the lineup at the expense of Kieran Trippier after another midweek rest. Walker is yet to play in the Europa League, but has started every Prem game this season.
CB: Toby Alderweireld
Alderweireld was an absolute rock against Anderlecht and has helped transfer this Tottenham side into one that is very difficult to beat. Only Arsenal have conceded fewer league goals this campaign.
CB: Jan Vertonghen
The other half of arguably the Premier League’s in-form centre-back pairing – Vertonghen may be less comfortable against the strength of Olivier Giroud than he would have been the pace of Theo Walcott.
LB: Danny Rose
The 25-year-old was rested on Thursday after limping off late on against Aston Villa. Ben Davies deputised, but Rose just about tends to get the nod for the big games and should start if fit.
CM: Eric Dier
The newest call-up to Roy Hodgson’s England squad will play a vital role for Spurs in restricting the space available to Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez in between Tottenham’s defence and midfield.
CM: Dele Alli
The 19-year-old has rightly earned rave reviews and England recognition since making his debut for Spurs in August, but his first taste of the North London derby will undoubtedly be Alli’s biggest test yet.
AMC: Mousa Dembele
Dembele enters this game in the best scoring form of his Tottenham career, having bagged three times in his last three outings after five in his previous 130 for Spurs. He will come in for Ryan Mason.
AMR: Erik Lamela
Tottenham fans are finally starting to see the £25.7m signing – fee reported by BBC Sport – make good progress. What a stage this would be for the Argentine to produce his best performance for the club.
AML: Christian Eriksen
Although Son Heung-Min returned from injury in midweek, Eriksen is likely to get the nod on the left. He has not quite hit the heights of last season, but the Dane is Tottenham’s most gifted attacker.
ST: Harry Kane
The homegrown hero was Tottenham’s match-winner in March’s derby with a thumping header. He has five goals in his last three games after a tricky start to the season and will be desperate for more.
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