Tottenham vs Arsenal predicted XIs: Confirmed team news and probable line-ups | OneFootball

Tottenham welcome their bitter rivals Arsenal to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday with both sides having plenty on the line ahead of the latest instalment in the storied history of the north London derby.

The Gunners are in the thick of the title fight and moved to the Premier League summit following a 5-0 drubbing of another London rival, Chelsea, on Tuesday.

Spurs, meanwhile, are in a tussle of their own as they are battling it out with Aston Villa for fourth.

Crunch period for North London rivals

A 2-2 draw between these rivals in September maintained each of their unbeaten records, leading some observers to talk up the pair’s chances of challenging Manchester City for the Premier League title.

However, fast-forward seven months and only half of that statement is true. Injuries to key men such as James Maddison and Micky Van de Ven derailed Spurs’ season and the best they can now hope for is Champions League qualification.

The Lilywhites are six points adrift of Villa but have two games in hand on the Midlanders, so they still have a real shot of a top-four finish.

Unlike their rivals, Arsenal have maintained their early-season form and are currently top of the Premier League on 77 points. However, Sunday’s visit to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium will be a real test of their credentials and the Gunners have won just one of their last eight away clashes with their north London rivals.

Rivalry can bring the best out of sides – as evidenced on Wednesday when Everton produced their best performance of the season to defeat Liverpool 2-0 at Goodison Park in the Merseyside derby – and Spurs won’t need any more incentive to dent their fierce foe’s title charge.

With so much on the line for both sides, the second north London derby of the season should be a thrilling affair.

Tottenham vs Arsenal Team News

Tottenham full-back Destiny Udogie has been ruled out for the season. He joins long-term absentees Fraser Forster, Ryan Sessegnon and Manor Solomon on the sidelines.

Ben Davies will fill in at left-back in Udogie’s absence and Emerson Royal is on standby on the other flank with Pedro Porro a doubt after suffering a hamstring strain against Newcastle.

Richarlison is nearing a return and, if he is deemed fit enough, could start up front for Spurs with Heung-Min Son moving to the left wing.

Gabriel had signalled to the Arsenal bench that he had suffered an injury against Chelsea but the Brazilian centre-back managed to shake off his issue and finish the 5-0 rout of the Blues.

Jurrien Timber featured for the Gunners’ Under-21s on Monday night, scoring a brilliant goal in his first official match since suffering an Anterior Cruciate Ligament injury on the opening day of the season, but he is unlikely to return to the first-team squad this season.