Following a disappointing 2-0 defeat to Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur will rekindle their rivalry with fellow north Londoners Arsenal at Wembley this weekend.
Both teams will be looking to collect all three points, especially with Manchester United and Chelsea pushing for the Champions League slots and here are three key battles that could decide the outcome of this mouthwatering fixture on Saturday.
Kieran Trippier vs Nacho Monreal
Tottenham right-back Kieran Tripper will look to make amends after making a massive blunder on Wednesday. The England international is already having an awful campaign, where his lack of defensive awareness (mostly down to form) has allowed the opposition to exploit his flank on multiple occasions.
But, Trippier’s excellent crossing, as well as his driving runs into the final third could always create problems, especially against Nacho Monreal, who is certainly not a proactive defender. Thus, the former Burnley right-back will look to get forward at every given opportunity and stretch the opposition with his clever movements on the far side.
To that end, Monreal will be tasked with the responsibility of keeping a check on the England international.
Although, as mentioned earlier, the Spaniard lacks mobility in his game. But, what he lacks in pace, he more than makes up for it with his excellent positioning – thus making this one of the most intriguing personal duels in the North London derby this weekend.
The entire midfield
With no less than at least six midfielders expected to feature in this crucial derby this weekend, we can expect this to be a cagey affair, where both sides will loathe to lose the midfield battle.
Arsenal, in that regard, hold a slight advantage, when compared to Tottenham, who will have to rely on the services of the inexperienced Harry Winks and the hesitant Moussa Sissoko, who will most likely be drafted into the starting lineup, should Eric Dier fail to recover in time.
As for the Gunners, coach Unai Emery is likely to deploy Granit Xhaka and Lucas Torreira, who will look to harry and hassle the Tottenham midfielders, who haven’t exactly been quite convincing in their performances this season.
Heung Min-Son vs Carl Jenkinson
Emery could be tempted to continue with Carl Jenkinson ahead of Stephan Lichtsteiner in the right-back slot. The 27-year-old performed really well in the win over Bournemouth and will deputize for the injured Hector Bellerin.
However, despite his excellent form coming into this game, Jenkinson’s lack of footballing experience in recent years will be a huge flaw, especially in such a high-end encounter.
Thus, the onus will be on Heung Min-Son to exploit the left-flank with his mazy runs and clever movements on the far side. The South Korean international has been ineffective in the last two matches so it will be interesting to see how he fares against Jenkinson this weekend.
