Wednesday, February 14
 

Premier League

Combined XI: Tottenham Hotspur vs. Arsenal

Sports Mole selects a strongest combined XI from Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal ahead of Saturday's North London derby at Wembley.

The final North London derby of the season takes place on Saturday lunchtime with more than just bragging rights up for grabs as Arsenal visit Wembley to take on Tottenham Hotspur.

Spurs know that a draw or victory would temporarily take them into the Champions League places, while Arsenal can ill-afford another setback with five points separating them from the top four.

Both teams will go into the match in confident mood, though, and it promises to be yet another captivating spectacle when the two bitter rivals do battle once again

Mauricio Pochettino and Arsene Wenger have plenty of talent to choose from ahead of the contest, and here Sports Mole has selected the strongest combined XI from both squads, using only players available this weekend.



There are doubts over the fitness of Arsenal keeper Petr Cech ahead of the trip to Wembley, but even if he was fit Hugo Lloris would earn a place in this team between the sticks.

Defence is less clear-cut, with the likes of Kieran Trippier, Serge Aurier, Laurent Koscielny, Shkodran Mustafi, Davinson Sanchez, Ben Davies, Danny Rose and Sead Kolasinac all missing out on a place in this team. The fit-again Toby Alderweireld is available and so earns his place in the backline alongside compatriot Jan Vertonghen, but the Spurs duo are flanked on either side by Arsenal men.

Hector Bellerin narrowly beats competition from the two Tottenham right-backs, while Nacho Monreal's recent form at both ends of the field earns him the spot on the opposite flank, despite spending much of the campaign at centre-back.

Some big names miss out in midfield too as Mousa Dembele is preferred to Victor Wanyama, Eric Dier and Granit Xhaka to start alongside Aaron Ramsey, who scored his first career hat-trick in the win over Everton last time out.

Further forward, Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli are Tottenham's representatives in the attacking midfield trio, alongside the mercurial Mesut Ozil, who seems ready to be Arsenal's main man now that Alexis Sanchez has left the club. New Arsenal signing Henrikh Mkhitaryan is a notable absentee despite his three assists last time out, while there is no room for Son Heung-min either in a very competitive area of the field.

Like his fellow January arrival, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang also misses out in this lineup - as does teammate Alexandre Lacazette - although despite the quality of both Arsenal strikers it is quite a straightforward decision to include Harry Kane. The England international once again leads the division's scoring charts this season and brought up his century of Premier League goals last weekend.



Check out Sports Mole's full match preview for the North London derby by clicking here.

Share this article now:
Read Next:
Combined XI: Liverpool vs. Tottenham
>

Subscribe to our Newsletter


Transfer Talk Daily
Match previews - twice weekly
Morning Briefing (7am UTC)
Get the latest transfer news, match previews and news direct to your inbox!
You May Like
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Manchester CityMan City27233179205972
2Manchester UnitedMan Utd27175551193256
3Liverpool27159361313054
4Chelsea27165649232653
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs27157552242852
6Arsenal27136851361545
7Burnley279992124-336
8Leicester CityLeicester2798103940-135
9Everton2797113246-1434
10Bournemouth2787123141-1031
11Watford2786133747-1030
12West Ham UnitedWest Ham2779113446-1230
13Newcastle UnitedNewcastle2777132536-1128
14Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton27610112236-1428
15Crystal Palace2769122542-1727
16Swansea CitySwansea2776142037-1727
17Huddersfield TownHuddersfield2776142347-2427
18Southampton27511112840-1226
19Stoke CityStoke2767142753-2625
20West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom27311132140-1920
Scroll for more - Tap for full version

Loading ...

Failed to load data.

Loading ...

Failed to load data.

Select and display your favourite team's news and scores in this panel

Subscribe to our Newsletter


Transfer Talk Daily
Match previews - twice weekly
Morning Briefing (7am UTC)
Get the latest transfer news, match previews and news direct to your inbox!
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Manchester CityMan City27233179205972
2Manchester UnitedMan Utd27175551193256
3Liverpool27159361313054
4Chelsea27165649232653
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs27157552242852
6Arsenal27136851361545
7Burnley279992124-336
8Leicester CityLeicester2798103940-135
9Everton2797113246-1434
10Bournemouth2787123141-1031
11Watford2786133747-1030
12West Ham UnitedWest Ham2779113446-1230
13Newcastle UnitedNewcastle2777132536-1128
14Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton27610112236-1428
15Crystal Palace2769122542-1727
16Swansea CitySwansea2776142037-1727
17Huddersfield TownHuddersfield2776142347-2427
18Southampton27511112840-1226
19Stoke CityStoke2767142753-2625
20West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom27311132140-1920
Scroll for more - Tap for full version

Loading ...

Failed to load data.

Loading ...

Failed to load data.

Select and display your favourite team's news and scores in this panel

Login, I already have my ad-free pass
Log in with Facebook to customise Sports Mole
Buy ad-free access (show me the options)
Buy monthly ad-free access for £1.20/month
Buy yearly ad-free access for £12 (2 months free)
Settings - Logout - Manage your account
Settings - Logout - Manage your account
This site uses cookies for Analytics. Click to accept and dismiss this message.