Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Football London
Football London
Sport
Alasdair Gold

Tottenham predicted team vs Arsenal: Antonio Conte names team to hand Arteta defensive problems

Antonio Conte is likely to maintain the stability in his Tottenham team when they host Arsenal in the north London derby on Thursday evening.

It is set to be one of the biggest Premier League derbies between the two teams with the Gunners able to guarantee a top four finish if they win the match and Spurs can move to within a point of the Mikel Arteta's team if they can claim the victory. There is already plenty of needle around the match after its initial postponement in January when Arsenal had one Covid-related absence.

It will also be the first north London derby played in front of a full Tottenham Hotspur Stadium crowd and the home fans are going to play their part in the atmosphere during the encounter. Whichever of the two teams manages the noise, pressure and expectation the best will win the match.

READ MORE: Antonio Conte's language about his Tottenham future is changing and it might excite Spurs fans

Conte is likely to stick with the team that impressed against Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday evening. He will need Son Heung-min to continue to bag the goals with Harry Kane and Dejan Kulusevski causing problems for the Arsenal defence. Wing-backs Ryan Sessegnon and Emerson Royal both impressed at the weekend and the two young wide players will need to be at their best to not only defend against in-form Arsenal but get up the pitch to support the attacking trio.

Rodrigo Bentancur and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, with their big game experience, should get the nod in the midfield over Harry Winks, despite his experience of north London derbies, while the defence shone at Anfield and should, injuries aside, remain together again.

Here is the Tottenham team we reckon Conte will select:

3-4-3: Lloris; Romero, Dier, Davies; Emerson, Hojbjerg, Bentancur, Sessegnon; Kulusevski, Kane, Son.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.