Harry Kane vs Gabriel Paulista
Perhaps the most important duel of the game, upon which a lot will depend. Harry Kane has a brilliant record against Arsenal and to the Gunners’ misfortune, they are likely to be without their best defender at the back for this fixture. Laurent Koscielny has been stated by Arsene Wenger as ’60-40’ for the game, who is recovering from the knee injury he incurred in the last game against Leicester City.
Harry Kane has played five times against Arsenal so far, and he has scored five times already. It is like he has Tottenham’s football pedigree in him. In those five matches, Spurs have won once and lost once. The rest have all been draws and we know that draw is not an option for either side.
Kane has scored 20 league goals till now and is unstoppable at the moment. Arsene Wenger will have Gabriel Paulista to tackle him. The Brazilian has been under immense criticism for most of the season for his nervy defending and has started to answer his critics only now. He was brilliant against Manchester City and Arsenal fans will hope for him to continue that in this game.
Alexis Sanchez vs Eric Dier
Although it will be more like Kyle Walker and Eric Dier covering the Chilean, the deploying of Kieran Gibbs as the wing-back means, Walker will have a lot to handle and Dier will be the last man standing for Sanchez. Tottenham have the best defensive record in the league this season and Dier has been one of the main reasons for that.
The English international relies mainly on his position and discipline to see out the threat, but tackling Sanchez, who is pretty good with his twists and turns could be tricky. And pace on the ball will be another concern for him. Sanchez has been prolific away from home this season and has a high possibility of getting his name on the scoresheet.
Aaron Ramsey vs Christian Eriksen
Another hugely important battle in the central midfield and one to relish too. While the Danish midfielder has obviously had the better season than the Welsh international, whose campaign this season has been marred by injuries mostly; they are both fit and riding high on confidence now.
And interestingly, both are weak where defensive contribution is concerned with the offence being their strong hand. With both having towering target men up front to pass the ball to, it will be a test of passing accuracy and sheer vision.
