Tottenham Hotspur are hoping to maintain their near-perfect start to the campaign when they host arch-rivals Arsenal in the North London derby on Sunday. The Lilywhites are leading the Premier League table heading into this weekend’s round of fixtures and manager Jose Mourinho will be expecting nothing less than a win against a struggling Arsenal side.
Predicted Tottenham Hotspur Lineup Vs Arsenal
Defence
Mourinho unexpectedly made wholesale changes in the defensive department in midweek, so we can expect the Portuguese tactician to revert those changes this weekend.
Hugo Lloris should return in goal, at the expense of Joe Hart, who was nowhere near his best in the high scoring draw with LASK on Thursday. We are likely to witness both Serge Aurier and Sergio Reguilon return to the starting eleven. They will replace both the fullbacks in Matt Doherty and Ben Davies.
There could be changes in central defence as well. Mourinho was impressed with Joe Rodon’s performance against Chelsea, and the Welshman is likely to get the nod ahead of Davinson Sanchez and Japhet Tanganga. He should, therefore, operate alongside Eric Dier at the heart of Tottenham’s four-man backline as Toby Alderweireld is currently racing against time to recover by Sunday.
Midfield
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg was surprisingly given the start against LASK in midweek. But Mourinho has very little reason to replace him in the starting lineup, with the Dane having become an integral part of Spurs’ second line of press.
Hojbjerg should partner Moussa Sissoko in the double-pivot, although the duo will receive additional support from Tanguy Ndombele. The Frenchman, who is likely to start ahead of Giovani Lo Celso and Dele Alli, will operate in the number ten role, hoping to provide a bit of creative essence in the final third.
Attack
Harry Kane is a bit of doubt heading into this fixture after picking up an unspecified knock and missing training earlier this week. However, Mourinho remains confident that he will be able to spearhead the attack for Spurs this weekend. Carlos Vinicius is on standby, should the English international fail to recover in time, though the Brazilian himself has suffered a little niggle.
Other guaranteed starters this weekend include Son Heung-Min, who will shift into a wider role after featuring as a central striker against LASK. The other wide attacking slot should go to Steven Bergwijn, with the Dutchman showing a lot of promise in recent weeks.
