Tottenham Hotspur Predicted XI: We predict Jose Mourinho’s line-up as his side host Arsenal in the north London derby
Mourinho is looking to add a striker to his Spurs squad.
Tottenham Hotspur have the opportunity to extend their unbeaten run in the Premier League to 10 games on Sunday, but to do so they will have to avoid defeat to bitter rivals Arsenal in the north London derby at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Spurs’ last league defeat was a 1-0 loss at home to Everton way back on September 13 and since then, Jose Mourinho’s side have gone on an incredible run as some fans dare to dream about a first Premier League title.
Tottenham have taken advantage of the average early season form of some of the Premier League’s big hitters, such as Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal as they occupy the top spot of a wide open league.
The test for Mourinho’s men will now be the longevity of their success. If one or two injuries were to affect the thinner areas of the Spurs squad, it would be interesting to see how the side cope.
Here we predict Mourinho’s starting XI…
Goalkeeper:
Joe Hart is line for his Spurs league debut after concerns for the fitness of first choice ‘keeper Hugo Lloris. The France international team captain did not travel with the side for their midweek Europa League tie with LASK, where Hart played and conceded three goals. Even Hart, with 340 Premier League appearances to his name, must be a bag of nerves prior to making his debut in such a vital game.
Defenders:
Another player set to make their first appearance in the north London derby is left-back Sergio Reguilon. Spurs named a completely changed back four for their Europa League game in the week, but after conceding three goals we expect Mourinho to revert to the same personnel who kept a clean sheet against Chelsea last week. As well as Reguilon coming back in, it is also anticipated for the centre-back partnership of Eric Dier and Joe Rodon to be restored alongside right-back Serge Aurier.
Midfielders:
Arsenal’s recent results have exposed Mikel Arteta’s side’s soft underbelly, particularly the central midfield partnership of Dani Ceballos and Granit Xhaka. We back Mourinho to select Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Moussa Sissoko to apply pressure to Arsenal’s shaky duo in the centre of the park. Ahead of the defensive midfielders, we expect Tanguy Ndombele to play a more advanced role in behind the striker.
Forwards:
Harry Kane missed the draw against LASK with a muscle problem, but barring any last-minute problems the 27-year-old is set to make his 12th league appearance against the Gunners. Son Heung-Min scored midweek and he is expected to flank Kane alongside Netherlands international Steven Bergwijn. Mourinho will also have the option of bring Gareth Bale off the bench – not a bad trick to have up your sleeve.