PREVIEW: Spurs host Arsenal in North London Derby judgement day | OneFootball

Tottenham Hotspur host leaders Arsenal in the 199th edition of the North London derby on Sunday, with both sides desperate for a positive result at either end of the table.

Spurs come into the game with a new man in the dugout, as Igor Tudor replaces Thomas Frank as manager in the biggest game of them all for supporters as he looks to steady the rapidly sinking ship.

But it’s been two wins in the previous 17 Premier League game for Tottenham, who sit 16th and are facing a genuine relegation battle amid what is becoming an annual tradition of suffering an extensive injury crisis.

Tottenham are without a win in the fixture since May 2022, when Antonio Conte’s side won 3-0 thanks to goals from Harry Kane and Son Heung-Min.

Spurs can’t lean on that kind of world class talent this weekend, but Igor Tudor needs to find some heroes amongst his ranks to turn a turgid season around.

Tudor’s options for his first starting eleven are few and far between, with the absence list including all of club captain Cristian Romero, James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, Destiny Udogie, Kevin Danso, Ben Davies, Wilson Odobert, Lucas Bergvall, Rodrigo Bentancur, and Mohammed Kudus.

Pedro Porro and Richarlison were set the target of returning by Sunday’ match by now ex-manager Frank, yet it’s unclear whether either have returned to training and therefore may not be available for selection.

The interim manager will hope he can help Randal Kolo Muani rediscover the form he produced under his stewardship at Juventus last season, having scored five goals in their final six matches to ensure Champions League qualification.

However, the Frenchman is yet to find the back of the net in the Premier League this campaign.

The current mood isn’t much brighter on the red side of north London, throwing away a two-goal lead late on in their draw with bottom side Wolves as the anxiety around Mikel Arteta’s title ambitions grow.

The Gunners leaders have recorded just two wins their last seven league games, knowing that a victory on Sunday is imperative in order to relieve the pressure surrounding Arsenal’s gap over Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, who have a game in hand, narrowing to five points.

Arsenal aren’t without their injury troubles, as Mikel Merino, Kai Havertz and Max Dowman are set to miss out, with captain Martin Odegaard dealing with an issue that ruled him out of midweek trip to Molineux.

All eyes will surely be on Eberechi Eze once again, with his hat-trick in the 4-1 derby win at the Emirates one of the stories of the season after the England international snubbed a move to Spurs in the summer.

Eze hasn’t added to his Premier League tally since, with doubts circling over his move to his childhood team and Arteta’s ability to get the best out of the attacker as Bukayo Saka has been drafted into the number 10.

Arsenal know they must find the winning recipe sharpish to avoid a fourth consecutive second place, with Eze a more than viable option who could re-ignite the Gunners’ title push at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The derby kicks off on Sunday at 16:30 (GMT), with live coverage on Sky Sports Main Event.