Aaron Lennon has backed Tottenham to beat Arsenal in the North London Derby showdown
Tottenham Hotspur are getting ready to welcome arch-rivals Arsenal on Sunday in the latest instalment of the North London Derby.
Both Spurs and the Gunners are in tricky situations ahead of the game at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as they failed to win their respective last games before the international break. The Lilywhites, in particular, lost 2-1 to Newcastle United at St James’ Park, meaning they could only muster four points across the opening three Premier League fixtures.
Several players from both camps will miss the high-voltage North London Derby—either due to suspension or injuries. This adds a little bit more intrigue in terms of team selections, tactics and key individual battles on the pitch.
Paul Merson, former Arsenal striker turned pundit, has predicted a tough time for Mikel Arteta’s men on Sunday owing to the absences of some key stars, thus, apparently giving the edge to the hosts. Now, ex-Spurs star Aaron Lennon has given his thoughts ahead of the big derby.
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Aaron Lennon, previewing the North London Derby alongside Gabriel Agbonlahor and Ally McCoist on talkSPORT, has backed his former club to get the job done. He feels Tottenham have enough quality in their squad to beat Arsenal amid their midfield conundrum.
When asked by Ally McCoist that the game is difficult to predict due to the absences of Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice, Lennon said:
“I think that’s fair. That’s a huge loss for Arsenal and if I’m in that Spurs dressing room, I’d think it’s a great chance.
“Odegaard is the skipper—he sets the press, speeds the tempo and slows the game down. He gets them going. Rice has been phenomenal since signing for them. To lose them two, I look at them and I really fancy Spurs. Yeah, I do.”
The non-availability of Rice and Odegaard are huge blows for Arsenal, weakening them in the middle of the park. They are the big hitters for Mikel Arteta’s side and usually control the flow of their game. However, our neighbours still do have quality options to replace the duo in the starting XI, so we cannot afford to take them lightly at the weekend.
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Form goes out of the window in derbies and this one will be no different. Spurs have a great opportunity to beat a slightly depleted Arsenal side, avenging last season’s defeat at home and putting an early dent in their title aspirations. Let’s hope our lads perform to the best of their abilities and help Spurs bag all three points.
