Spurs vs Arsenal Preview, Team News, Likely Line-ups & Predicted Score
Tottenham Hotspur welcome fierce rivals Arsenal to White Hart Lane on Sunday afternoon for what could prove to be a pivotal game in the race for a top-four finish this season.
Spurs head into the game holding a four point lead over the Gunners after a Garth Bale-inspired victory over West Ham last week. The Welshman secured a 3-2 win with a last minute screamer to move Tottenham above Chelsea into third place in the table with just 11 games to go (although the Blues moved back above Spurs with victory over WBA on Saturday afternoon).
Arsenal also go into the match in fine form themselves having won their last three matches including a 2-1 win over AstonVilla at the Emirates last Saturday that kept them in the chase for Champions League qualification.
Victory for Arsene Wenger’s side tomorrow would see them move to within a single point of their north London rivals leaving it all to play for during the last ten games. Defeat, however, would see Spurs open-up a seven-point gap leaving them firm favourites to finish above Arsenal for the first time in 17 years.
Team News
Tottenham have been boosted by the return to fitness of Jermain Defoe with the striker overcoming an ankle knock and is in contention to start on Sunday. If he does, it will likely come at the expense of former Arsenal hitman Emmanuel Adebayor.
Andre Villas-Boas will continue to be without Clint Dempsey who’s nursing a calf problem, so Lewis Holtby is expected to continue in the advanced midfield role while Tom Huddlestone, Younes Kaboul and Sandro remain out.
Arsenal will be without defender Bacary Sagna with the Frenchman struggling to overcome a knee injury meaning young Carl Jenkinson is likely to fill in at right-back.
Midfielder Abou Diaby is also a doubt for the game with Wenger rating him at just 50:50, so Aaron Ramsey may come in to midfield in his absence.
Kieran Gibbs remains out with a thigh injury so Nacho Monreal will get his first taste of a North London Derby. Lukas Podolski and Laurent Koscielny are both pushing for recalls but Wenger is likely to stick with the majority of the side that beat Villa last time out.
Likely Line-ups
Predicted Score
Tottenham – Arsenal games are almost impossible to call these days as the matches are so open and unpredictable. Spurs have thrown away leads in the last two games, going on to lose both 5-2, and we can see goals in this one once again, but can’t separate the two teams. Tottenham 2-2 Arsenal
What would be your starting eleven and whats your score prediction for the game? Get involved in the comments section below.
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Sal
March 2, 2013 at 7:48 pm
PODOLSKI IN
RAMSEY OUT
CAZORLA IN THE MIDDLE
Victor kay
March 2, 2013 at 7:55 pm
Koseilny in for Ramsey and Podolski in for Giroud.
Samedoo
March 2, 2013 at 7:57 pm
Coquelin in for ramsey gunners gonna win 3-1
okikiola
March 2, 2013 at 8:12 pm
Arsenal win 3-2
davies
March 2, 2013 at 8:26 pm
coquelin in ramsey out
Jones
March 2, 2013 at 8:40 pm
Arsenal are a more technical side than spurs aparantly if any one will belive me, with the likes of Arteta, Wilshere and Carzola who are all sublime and gifted Midfielder. Football is definately not a maths but Arsenal are going to come up clean with a 2-3 victory, cos it has always been our right to get victory when it comes to this derby…God bless Arsenal..Viva-Arsenal!!!
alfie
March 3, 2013 at 7:43 pm
HAHAHAHAA
atid
March 2, 2013 at 8:49 pm
4312 formation please
with cazorla in a free role behind the more agile pairing of podolski and walcott. a midfield trio of wilshire arteta and one of ramsey coquelin diaby rosicky. kos and verrm pairing in the defence.
Samuel chima Agbo
March 2, 2013 at 8:54 pm
With God all this things are possible
yemy
March 2, 2013 at 9:01 pm
Jack is d man 2 _1 for d gunners
emmnuel
March 2, 2013 at 9:08 pm
…………………………………schzny…………………………………… Monreal koscieny mertisaka vermelean…… Wilshere arteta roscisky carzolz podoski walcot if this follish man can set it like dis pls tell me hw tottenham will beat us
Ifecogunners
March 2, 2013 at 9:11 pm
Am satisfiye, as far as there is no Diaby, in that starting eleven am ok, Arsenal wll come out with three point come’s tomorrow. Up gunners.
jobis
March 2, 2013 at 9:16 pm
No ram n no jenk no ja.we will win
podolski
March 2, 2013 at 9:46 pm
arsenal is gonna win 4_2 by d grace of God.wilshere nd carzola are in form nau nd i pray dat walcott will gain his form 2mao
jack
March 2, 2013 at 10:43 pm
Pls arsen wenger dont use ramsey i dont like d style of play of dat guy pls,rosikly or couqulie
UMOH EKWO
March 2, 2013 at 11:13 pm
Who ever is suggesting the above team is not wishing Arsenal well in the match against Spurs. Who is going to supply the ball at the midfield to the strikers? Arteta and Ramsey? Last time we played that formation against a strong team, go and check whether we won. The attack will have to do extra work coming for the ball and we will not fire a shot at goal. Check Arsenal versus Man U this season. I hate selecting players for a coach but if we play this team as suggested, let us forget about victory against Spurs.
Jaji
March 2, 2013 at 11:30 pm
This is the kind of selection that makes we wonder if wenger is indeed any good. It’s clear that podolski is the best finisher in arsenal. Simply strike him and get coquelin in for Ramsey while pushing arteta bait forward. Simple. But he would do otherwise stubborn coach.
max
March 3, 2013 at 2:24 am
Sczesny
Koscielny. Vermaelen
Jenkinson. Monreal
Arteta
Rosicky. Wilshere
Walcott. Carzola
Giroud
Sub
Podolski(Giroud)
Oxlade(Rosicky)
Gervinho
Metersacker
Ramsey
Coquelin
Mannone
Its going to be a game of pace and arteta must not go forward, fast and trickish players should be injected and the game will be won by arsenal
james
March 3, 2013 at 2:45 am
I put money on Spurs winning 3-2 but i hope more than anything in the world that i am wrong.
If you look at the first 11, in fact the entire squad, only 2 or 3 of their players would be better than ours in that position.
Bale, Vertonghen and possibly Walker.
Student of Spurs
March 3, 2013 at 10:56 am
Not Lloris then?
wonderstylz
March 3, 2013 at 3:16 am
Szesny
Conquelin. Mertesacker. Verm. Nacho
Wishire. Arteta
Rosicky
Carzola. Walcot. Podolski .
Ken teks
March 3, 2013 at 12:22 pm
I am not a gunner but i wish them goodluck
Ishaq moorey
March 3, 2013 at 1:13 pm
2 – 1 in favour of arsnal
Dickens
March 3, 2013 at 3:17 pm
Giroud to start frm the bench &replace with walcot,then podolski&rosicky in the starting line up