Tottenham vs Arsenal predicted line-ups: three major doubts and four ruled out of crucial north London derby

It is a north London derby with more than bragging rights on the line. Both Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur will be fully aware of the need to take all three points from Sunday’s clash against their bitterest rivals, and how disastrous anything other than a win could be for their respective ambitions in the latter part of the Premier League campaign.

The Gunners are currently one point clear of Manchester City at the top of the table following their midweek demolition of Chelsea at the Emirates, but have played one game more than the defending champions, and will be eager to keep the pressure on Pep Guardiola’s side by maintaining a 100% record between now and the final day.

As for Spurs, they are still very much in the running for a Champions League spot, but will need to win both of their games in hand to stay level on points with Aston Villa, who currently sit fourth in the table. Ange Postecoglou’s men were beaten 4-0 by Newcastle United in their last outing.

But how will both sides line up at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday afternoon? We’ve taken a closer look at their respective team news and predicted starting XIs below...

Tottenham Team News

Tottenham are facing a nervous wait on a couple of first team stars ahead of Sunday’s derby clash. Full-back Pedro Porro is recovering from a hamstring strain and will face a late assessment, while Richarlison is similarly doubtful as he continues his rehabilitation from a knee complaint. Speaking on April 12th, Ange Postecoglou said: 'Not for this week. Close, but with the weekend off next week, we're going to give him some time to recover. He's on track to do that.'

Elsewhere, there is less optimism surrounding Destiny Udogie, who is set to be out for the rest of the season having undergone surgery. Likewise, Manor Solomon and Ryan Sessegnon are not expected to feature again this term, while deputy goalkeeper Fraser Forster doesn’t appear to be any closer to a return from a fractured foot. Speaking about the stopper back in February, his manager said: “He picked up a knock in training - a fracture in his foot - he's longer-term, a couple of months. Yeah, disappointing.”

Tottenham Predicted XI

Guglielmo Vicario; Pedro Porro, Cristian Romero, Mickey van de Ven, Ben Davies; Yves Bissouma, Pape Matar Sarr; Brennan Johnson, James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski; Son Heung-min.

Arsenal Team News

By contrast, Arsenal enter the final knockings of the season with a relatively clean bill of health. Indeed, the Gunners’ only notable absence is Jurrien Timber, who sustained an ACL injury on the opening weekend of the campaign, and who has been in rehabilitation ever since. It is understood, however, that the Dutchman is nearing a return to match fitness.

Speaking about his player ahead of the win over Chelsea earlier in the week, Mikel Arteta said: ‘He's been training really good. He looks ready. He needs that exposure, and after that, we'll assess whether that game comes at the right time or too fast. We’ll try to get him with us for the final games.'

Arsenal Predicted XI

David Raya; Ben White, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, Takehiro Tomiyasu; Thomas Partey, Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard; Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz, Leandro Trossard.