Where Tottenham v Arsenal will be won and lost
The north London derby switches to north west London for the very first time – and the fires have well and truly been stoked.
New setting, same intense rivalry. It’s 13 miles as the crow flies from Tottenham’s half-build new home to Wembley Stadium but they know the seven point gap victory would create would be big enough to stretch all the way down the Seven Sisters road.
Against the backdrop of diving claims and debate, every step the players take will be analysed come kick-off.
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Before it, even more so. With so much at stake, there’s little room for error and the manager’s selection must be spot on.
Where will the derby be won and lost? Well Arsenal, you feel, will have to find a new level to keep themselves in the Champions League hunt.
Disastrous
Their away form in the Premier League is simply disastrous while Spurs at Wembley are starting to really feel at home. Raising it in the big games, they’ve eased past Real Madrid, Manchester United and Liverpool at the national stadium. They now want to complete the set.
The Gunners will see a point as a positive, keeping their foes within touching distance. That means they must be at their best defensively, and the pressure will be on Laurent Koscielny to keep Harry Kane in check.
Though the biggest battle will be in the middle of the park and containing the flow from midfield will be crucial.
Aaron Ramsey loves Wembley. His winner against Chelsea back in May and after his hat-trick against Everton, Arsenal will be relying on him again, perhaps even more so than Mesut Ozil. This is where Tottenham need to get their act together.
Derby games are rough and they are tough. On Saturday there will be well over 80,000 fans baying for blood, it’s no place for the hot-headed. The first red card betting is always an intriguing practice, so he who keeps his cool could win the day.
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Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino must make a decision on Serge Aurier. Known to have discipline issues, his inclusion presents a risk. The Ivorian right-back can be a liability, so Ben Davies – excellent against Manchester United but defensively less assured – may get the nod.
It’s not the only defensive decision for Spurs. Toby Alderweireld, 28, says he is “ready” to step back in after 14 weeks out but if Newport County on Wednesday was a enough of a test to dislodge Davison Sanchez remains to be seen.
If Pochettino takes the risk to reunite the Belgian with his countryman then Jan Vertonghen’s part becomes even more crucial.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will be desperate to build on his goalscoring start to life at the Emirates so it may not be the time to gamble.
Let battle commence.
