Antonio Conte has had to make one change to his Tottenham team for the north London derby against Arsenal on Thursday evening.
Cristian Romero misses out on the squad through injury and is replaced by Davinson Sanchez for one of the biggest north London derbies in the Premier League era with Spurs able to move to within a point of Mikel Arteta's team if they can claim the victory but the Gunners can guarantee a top four finish if they win the match. There is already plenty of spice around the match after its initial postponement in January when Arsenal had one Covid-related absence.
It will be the first north London derby played in front of a full Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and the home fans, who will hold up a Tifo before the match and are expected to play their part in the atmosphere during the encounter, with the winning team likely to be the one which handles the noise, pressure and expectation the best.
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Apart from Romero, Conte has stuck with the team that came close to taking all three points against Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday evening. Spurs need Son Heung-min to continue to on the goal trail, with the South Korean just two behind the Premier League's top scorer Mohamed Salah.
Wing-backs Ryan Sessegnon and Emerson Royal both impressed at the weekend and the two young wide men will need to be at their best to not only defend against in-form Arsenal but get up the pitch to support the attacking trio. Rodrigo Bentancur and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, with their big game experience, get the nod in the midfield. Seventeen-year-old Alfie Devine is on the bench for Spurs.
Here is the Tottenham team Conte has selected:
Lloris; Sanchez, Dier, Davies; Emerson, Hojbjerg, Bentancur, Sessegnon; Kulusevski, Kane, Son.
Subs: Gollini, Rodon, Craig, Winks, White, Devine, Bergwijn, Lucas, Scarlett.
