Former Arsenal man Martin Keown has refused to name a single Tottenham player in a combined north London derby XI.
The two sides are squaring off at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Thursday as they target the final top four spot. Arsenal have enjoyed a renaissance after losing their opening three games of the season. Their rivals meanwhile won their opening three but have since changed manager with Antonio Conte now leading their charge.
Tottenham have relied on the goals of Harry Kane and Son Heung-min to aid their Champions League bid. The pair have netted 44 times between them in all competitions but neither has made Keown's combined team, with Eddie Nketiah getting the nod due to his recent purple patch.
The former Gunner claimed his pick was a vote of confidence for the Arsenal forward, who has scored four times in his last four games. He wrote in the Daily Mail : "It would be easy for me to name Harry Kane, but as an Arsenal man, I don't want to take anything away from my team. This close to the battle, I'm focusing on my club, so there's not a single Tottenham player I'd take.
"Not Kane. Not Son Heung-Min. Not any of them. I wouldn't want to say anything to hamper the confidence of someone like Eddie Nketiah, who's been a revelation over the last four wins."
Keown has also chosen to overlook the likes of Cristian Romero, Matt Doherty and Sergio Reguilon in the back four. Meanwhile midfield anchors Rodrigo Bentancur and Pierre-Emile Højbjerg have both been snubbed. Instead the pundit has opted for Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka. Behind Nketiah he has picked Martin Odegaard, Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka with Emile Smith Rowe missing out.
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A win for Tottenham on their own patch will see them close to within a point of the Gunners with two games remaining. The fixture is taking place having originally been postponed as per Arsenal's request, a decision that was heavily criticised. Arsenal are aiming to return to the Champions League for the first time since the 2016/17 season.
Tottenham have missed out on the top four in each of the past two seasons having enjoyed a regular spell under Mauricio Pochettino. Mikel Arteta has said ahead of the contest: “We know that and we have earned the right to play that game in that context. We started the season with nine or 10 players out and playing the best two teams in Europe. Winning any match is extremely difficult. We are going to prepare for the game as best as can.”
