North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal prepare to take part in what has been billed as a 'friendly' at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in Sunday's Mind Series battle.
Both sides have already faced off against Chelsea this month, with Nuno Espirito Santo's side claiming a 2-2 draw while Arsenal suffered a 2-1 defeat to their London rivals.
Match preview
© Reuters
Spurs did not pass the first real test of the Santo era with flying colours, but the ex-Wolverhampton Wanderers manager was in an understandably buoyant mood following his side's stellar fightback at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea were 2-0 up just before the 50-minute mark thanks to Hakim Ziyech's brace, but Lucas Moura restored parity just six minutes after the Moroccan's second goal of the game before Steven Bergwijn's 70th-minute strike ensured a share of the spoils in West London.
Santo paid tribute to his side's "character" after the game as Spurs seek to navigate their first pre-season period under the new coach unbeaten, with the former Porto goalkeeper also overseeing victories against MK Dons and Colchester United following a 1-1 stalemate with Leyton Orient.
Talk of Harry Kane's future will continue to dominate the headlines until the Premier League campaign begins - and such speculation may not let up then - but should the England captain's wishes of an exit be granted, a certain Lionel Messi is now ready to be enticed into a move elsewhere.
Bringing the six-time Ballon d'Or winner to North London is surely nothing more than a pipe dream - although there is every chance he could line up for Manchester City against Tottenham on the opening day - but Santo will simply want to endear himself to the fans with a positive derby result here.
© Reuters
Given the fact that the next few months could likely make or break his time in the Emirates dugout, Mikel Arteta would have been expected to inspire Arsenal to a strong exhibition period, but it has not panned out that way for the Gunners.
Arteta's side have claimed resounding 4-1 training ground wins over Watford and Millwall, but a 2-1 defeat to Hibernian preceded a 2-2 draw with Rangers during their Scotland tour, and the same old errors were exposed when Chelsea paid a visit to the Emirates last weekend.
A quick Blues break ended with Kai Havertz firing past Bernd Leno after 26 minutes before Granit Xhaka's header drew Arsenal level 20 minutes from time, but a misplaced pass from Hector Bellerin allowed Tammy Abraham to slot home for the winning goal in the 72nd minute.
A season without European football may be just what Arteta needs as he seeks to steer his side back into top-four contention, but the glaring defensive deficiencies are still evident - in spite of Ben White's arrival - while Gonners were also expecting the club to have offloaded more out-of-favour players than they have managed to so far.
A Jose Mourinho masterclass propelled Tottenham to a 2-0 win over Arsenal during the most recent battle at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but the Gunners soon gained revenge with a deserved 2-1 success on home soil, and neither set of players will be viewing this encounter as a 'friendly'.
- D
- W
- W
- D
- L
- D
- W
- W
- L
Team News
© Reuters
Spurs' only confirmed absentee through injury at the minute is Ryan Sessegnon, who remains doubtful for the opening day of the Premier League season, while Tanguy Ndombele was once again absent from the matchday squad against Chelsea.
Santo was coy over the Frenchman's absence following that draw, with the former Lyon man yet to play a single minute in pre-season, although some of those missed games can be explained by the birth of his child.
Pierluigi Gollini was handed the gloves at Stamford Bridge and could also feature at home for the first time here, while Joe Rodon may come into the defence for Japhet Tanganga amid links with a move to Galatasaray.
The Spurs boss also refused to discuss reports that Kane had failed to report for training two days in a row with exit talk rumbling on in the background, and he has reportedly extended his tropical holiday despite the club's frustrations.
Meanwhile, Arsenal have been dealt yet another blow with the luckless Thomas Partey, whose ankle injury sustained against Chelsea could rule him out for the rest of August.
Albert Sambi Lokonga will see an opportunity with the Ghanaian out, but Arteta is expected to reintroduce Mohamed Elneny to the midfield alongside Xhaka, while Bukayo Saka recently returned to the Arsenal training ground with a wall of supportive messages waiting for him.
Gabriel Martinelli is vying for Olympic gold with Brazil, but Gabriel Magalhaes remains sidelined with the knee injury that forced him to withdraw from the Tokyo Games.
Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:
Gollini; Doherty, Dier, Rodon, Reguilon; Hojbjerg, Winks; Bergwijn, Alli, Son; Moura
Arsenal possible starting lineup:
Leno; Chambers, White, Mari, Tierney; Xhaka, Elneny; Pepe, Smith Rowe, Aubameyang; Lacazette
We say: Tottenham Hotspur 1-1 Arsenal
Arsenal have lacked that competitive edge in pre-season, whereas Tottenham have boosted their confidence to no end under Santo, although the calibre of their respective opponents must be taken into account.
Off-the-pitch issues continue to bedevil the hosts, who will still be desperate to claim an early North London derby scalp over the Gunners, but we think a tightly-fought encounter will end all square.
Ben Knapton
