Arsenal will travel to White Hart Lane to face arch rivals Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.
Where to watch live
Kick-off is set for 12.45pm GMT. Live coverage is on BT Sport 1 and BT Sport 1 HD. Live Radio coverage is available on BBC Radio 5Live. Catch the highlights on Match of the Day on BBC One and BBC One HD at 10:20pm GMT.
Overview
Tottenham host Arsenal at White Lane for the second North London Derby of the season. In what is being termed as a highly anticipated match, it will take on more significance as both teams are battling for a place in the top four to qualify for the Champions League.
The corresponding fixture at the Emirates Stadium in September ended in a 1-1 draw after Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain cancelled out Nacer Chadli's opener.
Tottenham come into this game on the back of a 3-0 win away to West Bromwich Albion, but their form has been sketchy in January. They started the month with a morale boosting 5-3 win over league leaders Chelsea, and made it to the League Cup final, but they were knocked out of the FA Cup by Leicester City and lost to Crystal Palace after being a goal up in both the games.
Mauricio Pochettino does not have a clutch of stars at his disposal like rival boss Arsene Wenger, but has two players in Harry Kane and Christian Eriksen, who have become reliable match winners in recent weeks.
Another advantage for the home side is that, they have a fully fit squad to choose from and the manager is likely to make a few changes to the team that saw off West Browich Albion. Tottenham also have a crucial fixture against Liverpool on Tuesday, who are also contending for a top four spot.
Meanwhile, Arsenal come into this game on the back of a five game winning streak in the Premier League. It looks like the Gunners are hitting their stride at the right time, but when it comes to a derby; form does not count for much. It is all about the performance of the team for the duration of the game.
In their previous fixture, the Gunners smashed five goals past Aston Villa and Arsene Wenger will hope that his team continue their run of form against their arch rivals.
One drawback for Arsenal will be the absence of in-form forward Alexis Sanchez, who has been ruled out with a hamstring strain. But the manager has hinted that he could make it to the squad if he shows sufficient progress in their final training session ahead of the game.
The Emirates Stadium outfit has the upper hand when it comes to NLD's as they have not lost in the last five encounters between the two sides.
What managers say
Mauricio Pochettino: "We have improved since that game but we need to improve more. We need to show we are ready to compete with Arsenal and show we are ready to beat them. It is important as a team, like we did on Saturday, to have that strength of spirit. We know this is a different game, but we need to show the same fight as we did against Chelsea and commitment and hopefully get the same result."
Arsene Wenger: "In the derbies the home ground is not too significant sometimes because it's a high commitment, high pace and we just focus on the quality of our game and our performance no matter where we play."
Betting odds (888Sport.com)
- Tottenham to win: 11/5
- Draw: 5/2
- Arsenal to win: 5/4
Team news
Tottenham
- Injured: N/A
- Doubtful: N/A
- Suspended: N/A
Possible XI: Lloris; Walker, Fazio, Vertonghen, Rose; Mason, Bentaleb; Eriksen, Dembele, Lamela; Kane.
Arsenal
- Injured: Debuchy (shoulder), Wilshere (ankle), Oxlade-Chamberlain (groin), Arteta (ankle)
- Doubtful: Sanchez (hamstring), Welbeck (thigh)
- Suspended: N/A
Possible XI: Ospina; Bellerin, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal; Ramsey, Coquelin; Ozil, Cazorla, Walcott; Giroud.
0 nhận xét:
Đăng nhận xét