Jose Mourinho’s short tenure at Tottenham Hotspur will once again be under the microscope as the club welcome their bitter rivals Arsenal in the north London derby on Sunday. The Lilywhites have been in a disappointing run of form since the restart and were notably held back by relegation candidates Bournemouth in the last game. However, a win against arch-rivals Arsenal should serve as a massive boost as Spurs looks to recover during the remainder of the campaign.
Predicted Tottenham Hotspur Lineup Vs Arsenal
Defence
Tottenham Hotspur will miss Eric Dier once again, with the defender serving the second of his four-match ban imposed by the FA for his conduct in the stands. It was Jan Vertonghen, who had deputised for the Englishman in the last game. But, given Arsenal’s pace in the attack, Mourinho could opt for Davinson Sanchez instead.
The Colombian international could return to the starting lineup, partnering Toby Alderweireld at the heart of the four-man backline. There are no other viable options either with both Juan Foyth and Japhet Tanganga out injured.
There won’t be any changes at right-back, though, with Mourinho devoid of any other options aside from Serge Aurier while Ben Davies is also a guaranteed starter on the opposite flank.
These four players will feature just ahead of Hugo Lloris in between the sticks as the Frenchman looks for yet another clean sheet this weekend.
Midfield
Recalling Tanguy Ndombele to the starting lineup could turn out to be a massive risk for Tottenham in this fixture. Hence, we could expect both Harry Winks and Moussa Sissoko to continue forming the double-pivot. It will be interesting to see how they cope with the likes of Granit Xhaka and Dani Ceballos.
As for Giovani Lo Celso, he is set to operate in a more advanced role. The Argentine, being one of Spurs’ in-form players this year, will be tasked with the responsibility of providing the creative essence in the final third.
Attack
Mourinho did rest a couple of key players in the attack in the shape of Son Heung-Min and Lucas Moura. They are expected to replace both Steven Bergwijn and Erik Lamela in the wider-attacking slot with Harry Kane set to spearhead the Tottenham Hotspur attack.
Bergwijn and Lamela, however, are potential options in the second half as the new substitution rule has given managers more freedom, as far as their lineups are concerned.
