3 minute read
26/9/2021 | 02:30pm
Nuno Santo has plenty of selection decisions to make as he embarks on his first north London derby as Tottenham Hotspur boss and he’ll be looking to turn their fortunes around in the Premier League at the same time.
The Lilywhites have been beaten 3-0 in back-to-back league games and now face an Arsenal side that appear to have turned a corner following three straight victories in all competitions.
What is your prediction for the north London derby?
Arsenal win!
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Draw…
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Spurs win!
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Spurs have had their fair share of injuries in recent weeks but only Steven Bergwijn and Ryan Sessegnon are expected to be absent for the trip to the Emirates Stadium.
Here’s how we think Tottenham could line up later this afternoon…
In a pretty routine switch, club captain and no.1 goalkeeper Hugo Lloris is likely to replace Pierluigi Gollini between the sticks.
At right-back, there is a tough decision to make – will Nuno stick or twist with Japhet Tanganga after his performance in midweek, or will he start summer signing Emerson like he did against Chelsea?
He could well opt for the latter, with Thursday’s UEFA Europa Conference League game in mind.
Eric Dier should return in the place of Davinson Sanchez, alongside Cristian Romero – one of the few to remain from the win over Wolves in midweek, whilst Sergio Reguilon takes up his place on the left, replacing Ben Davies.
Nuno has another big call to make in midfield.
Tanguy Ndombele’s technical ability could be required in a game of this magnitude but there will be plenty of doubts over whether he can manage a fourth start in ten days.
With that in mind, we’re expecting young gem Oliver Skipp to be given the nod next to Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, with Dele Alli playing in the no.10 role.
There’s no place for Giovani Lo Celso either as he disappointed once again at Molineux. Instead, the returning Lucas Moura will start on the right and he will partner Heung-min Son and Harry Kane in the attack.
The £80k-per-week winger, who Dier once dubbed a “nightmare” to train against, has missed their last two matches through injury but is available for selection.
In total, there could be as many as seven changes from the penalty shootout win against Wolves.
Spurs’ predicted XI against Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Lloris; Reguilon, Dier, Romero, Emerson; Hojbjerg, Skipp, Alli; Son, Moura, Kane.
AND in other news, Nuno could solve Spurs’ creative issues in swoop for “explosive” £36m-rated dynamo…
https://www.footballfancast.com/tottenham-hotspur-news/thfc-latest-team-injury-news-nuno-santo-selection-spurs-predicted-xi-lineup-arsenal-north-london-derby-premier-league-preview
