Premier League 2018/19: Tottenham probable XI against Arsenal

The first North London Derby of the season will take place at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, December 02. It will be a riveting contest between Unai Emery's resurgent Arsenal and Mauricio Pochettino's in-form Tottenham.

The last time these two sides clashed against each other, Spurs got the better of their city rivals with a 1-0 victory.

Let us take a look at the starting XI Pochettino might go with for a marquee clash this Sunday.

---

Goalkeeper

Lloris is one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League

This one is straightforward. Though Hugo Lloris did not have too much to do in Italy in Spurs' midweek fixture against Inter Milan, he was up to the task when the hosts produced two shots on target in the game. He’s one of the best shot-stoppers there is but makes the fans get a little closer to the edge of their seat every time he decides to come off his lines. He’d have to be at his best against Arsenal forwards.

---

Defenders

Toby Alderweireld is the rock of the Spurs' defence

Serge Aurier will start at right-back in the absence of Kieran Trippier. The England right-back has suffered a groin injury during the Crystal Palace game and has been undergoing the final stages of rehabilitation. Aurier has been superb ever since, especially against Chelsea, where he kept Eden Hazard quiet throughout the game.

Toby Alderweireld is a sure starter alongside the fully-recovered Jan Vertonghen in the heart of Tottenham's defence. Spurs fans were delighted to see him in Italy after his long layoff due to an injury. In an ideal scenario, the manager would want to ease him back into the team slowly, but a hamstring injury to Davison Sanchez only means that Vertonghen must-start against the Gunners. Moreover, there’s no better match-practice than to face your city rivals in a full-throttle fixture.

The left-back position seems to be a decision to make for Pochettino. It could very well be Danny Rose that may take up the position as he was fully rested for the Milan game. In the fixture, Ben Davies played the 90 minutes while Rose was on the bench.

Midfielders

Eriksen has been on fire for the Spurs of late

Two words: Moussa Sissoko! He has taken to Tottenham's midfield like a duck to water. He’s become one of the fan-favourites and there are now chants being written about him. His darting run from the right flank against Inter Milan, which led to a pre-assist, was a thing of a beauty.

Eric Dier, who also travelled to Italy, is also likely to play against the Gunners. He was sent in the 87th minute of the game, just to shore up the defence to protect Spurs’ slender lead in the tie.

Inter had been doing a pretty good job keeping this Spurs side at bay until Cristian Eriksen came on in the last quarter of the game. From there on, a dire game thus far changed its complexion completely.

The midfielder, too, must be feeling good about his fitness after a well-deserved rest for most parts of the Inter game, not to forget, he had also put in one a hell of a shift against Chelsea, bagging two assists in the process.

He should be playing alongside Dele Alli, who opened the scoring against Chelsea in a 3-1 rout and set up Eriksen in Milan for the only goal of the match. His tricks and flicks are more than a handful against any defence and Arsenal's wobbly backline will be wary of his threat.

Forwards

Kane will spearhead Tottenham's attack against Arsenal on Sunday

Prolific goalscorer Harry Kane, who has been a thorn in Arsenal's side for a long time now, will certainly start for the Spurs the North London Derby.

The matter of contention is who Pochettino starts alongside Kane. From the looks of things, Son Heung-Min is the first name that springs to mind. He scored one of the goals of the season in the game against Chelsea, wherein he was adjudged the Player of the Match. He was also rested in the midweek at the expense of Lucas Moura, which can only mean that he’s more likely to start on Sunday.