The stand-out fixture of Game week 11. The stand-out fixture of Arsenal’s calendar. The stand-out fixture of Tottenham Hotspur’s calendar. Yes, we are talking about the first North London Derby of the season and like all the rest of them, this promises to be a cracker of a contest. Two teams who will probably challenge for the title this year.
The Lilywhites will be thirsty for revenge after Arsenal pipped them to 2nd place in the previous campaign. It was a two-horse race for the title between Leicester and Tottenham but as fate would have had it, Arsenal came out of nowhere to preserve the tradition of St. Totteringham’s Day much to the delight of the fans.
But it is a clean slate now and even though Spurs have mellowed down a bit since dominating Manchester City 2-0, it should be noted that they are still unbeaten in the League. With Arsenal looking to maintain the pace at the top of the table, it is a mouth-watering prospect to see the rivals square up against each other.
Three Key battles which have the potential to affect the outcome of the game.
MESUT OZIL VS VICTOR WANYAMA
Ozil hasn’t been in the best of form when you look at the assists which we usually associate him with but he has more than made up for it with his goals in the League as well as the Champions League.
Ozil already has 3 goals in the league and Sanchez’s positioning and runs are making it easier for him to arrive at the box at the right time. For Arsenal to be stopped, Wanyama has to have a fine game in marshalling Ozil. Staying tight to him and giving him minimal time on the ball will be key.
HEUNG-MIN SON VS LAURENT KOSCIELNY
Pochettino might deploy the South Korean in a false 9 role with Harry Kane still not match fit. Son has been exceptional this season and his energy and ability to score goals have fit exquisitely with the Spurs philosophy.
Koscielny has been equally impressive and will back himself to contain Son and alongside him in Mustafi, he has a capable partner who can cover for him. The 4-goal hero will hope to etch his name in the history books with a match-winning display in the Derby.
MOUSA DEMBELE VS GRANIT XHAKA
Dembele will certainly be a threat to the Arsenal side with his physicality and his dribbling ability along with his close control, which makes him a difficult player to contain. And to add to that, the fact that he makes the runs from deeper positions unsettles the defence and this is where Xhaka will come into play.
Both are robust and aggressive players and won’t give an inch to the other. It will be upon the Swiss international to restrict the Belgian and nullify his offensive impact. The Spurs fans will hope that he plays after picking up an injury in their defeat against Bayer Leverkusen and if he does, he’ll be a massive player for them this Sunday.
