Kane to start? - How Spurs and Arsenal could line-up in North London derby
Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal will both be sweating ahead of Sunday’s North London derby with a number of key players facing late fitness tests ahead of the all-important Premier League clash.
In a match that will mean a huge amount to both Jose Mourinho and Mikel Arteta, it looks as though both managers will have to mix and match either side due to a number of injuries to key players.
For the hosts, the main concern in defence will undoubtedly come in the form of Hugo Lloris, who has spent much of the week trying to overcome an illness. If the French shot-stopper can’t make the match he’ll be replaced by back-up keeper Joe Hart.
In defence, Mourinho may be boosted by the return of central defender Toby Alderweireld, who returned from injury to take part in training. Assuming all goes well, he should start in the centre of defence alongside Eric Dier. Sergio Reguilon is also likely to pass a late fitness test.
Elsewhere, the Tottenham boss will be looking to bring back key striker Harry Kane, after the England international missed his team’s midweek Europa League clash with an unexplained injury. Mourinho will almost certainly have the rested forward starting from the first whistle.
Like Mourinho, Arteta will also be scratching his head over some notable injuries to his team. In defence David Luiz is expected to miss out after a head injury last week and will probably make way for Rob Holding.
Similarly, a late fitness test will dictate whether Thomas Partey is likely to feature in Sunday’s game, with Dani Ceballos certain to take his place in the middle of the park alongside Granit Xhaka if he can’t prove he’s ready to play.
A red card suspension to Nicolas Pepe will also perhaps force Arteta to welcome Alexandre Lacazette back into the front line, following his outstanding goal in midweek. He’ll almost certainly feature alongside Willian, Bukayo Saka and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang up front.