One of the biggest fixtures in the Premier League timetable is here again- it’s Arsenal Vs Tottenham Hotspur! The Gunners are travelling to Wembley Stadium this time to clash with their North London rivals in what is turning out to be a heated battle for the top 4 spot. Arsenal are still 4 points behind Spurs in the 6th spot and things are looking interesting after the 2-2 draw between Mauricio Pochettino’s men and Liverpool last week.
It looked like Arsenal were out of the race after the 3-1 loss to Swansea City but with an away win here things might take a different trajectory in the last stretch of the season. The Red side are coming off an impressive 5-1 win over Everton and are looking stronger than ever with the reunited duo of Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the starting lineup.
Wenger has lost a star but has gained two over the January window. Even though the team has slimmed out with Francis Coquelin and Theo Walcott making an exit, Aaron Ramsey and Jack Wilshere are fitter than ever and finally, the Frenchman can charge at their rivals with full guns blazing.
The last time these two sides met – Arsenal beat the Spurs 2 goals to nil at the Emirates. Shkodran Mustafi’s headed in effort along with Alexis Sanchez’s emphatic finish in the first half was enough to see out the game. A wholly convincing display from the Gunners which they have struggled to replicate throughout the season.
They currently are 9th in the league in their away record with just 13 points collected in 13 games away from the Emirates. Not the best statistic for a seemingly title contending team. Pochettino’s home record also boasts of a dominant 2-0 win over Manchester United earlier this month and he will not allow Wenger to run away with the league double.
Here is how Arsenal might lineup for the game on Saturday.
Formation : 4-2-3-1
Defence
Petr Cech did not train with the team after going down with a knock in the game against Everton. Even though the injury did not look serious, he might not feature in this game. David Ospina is the next in line to replace him in between the sticks.
The Columbian should be shielded by the quartet of Nacho Monreal, Laurent Koscielny, Shkodran Mustafi and Hector Bellerin.
Midfield
Jack Wilshere and Granit Xhaka might pair up in the holding midfield role with Mesut Ozil ahead of the duo in the attacking midfield position.
The German is expected to get flanked by Henrikh Mkhitaryan on the right and Alex Iwobi on the left.
Attack
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is the predicted starter ahead of Alexandre Lacazette.
