Predicted Tottenham XI vs Arsenal

Tottenham Hotspur come into this Sunday's North London derby having spent the last two weeks at Hotspur Way preparing for the penultimate Premier League games of the season following a disappointing drubbing at the hands of Newcastle last time out.

Up first, the one fixture that stands out for all fans: Arsenal (h).

As always, the North London derby will fill every beer garden along the Tottenham High Road as the London skyline begins to brighten.

However, this one brings extra anxiety and anticipation in the air as Spurs look to secure Champions League Football for next season while also quelling their noisy neighbors' title challenge.

Ange Postecoglou has been dealt a fresh blow as fullback Destiny Udogie will be out for the remainder of the season, as revealed by the player last week by (via Hotspur HQ).

Who will deputise for the Italian? Bissouma or Sarr in midfield? Will Ange persist with Timo Werner on the left hoping he capitalises on the opportunities he consistently finds himself in? Here, we try to delve deeper into the mind of the Australian manager.

GK - Gugliemo Vicario
Some eyebrows were raised when Daniel Levy opted to sign Vicario over David Raya, who eventually joined Arsenal. Despite the criticism, Vicario has answered the majority of those questions, although some revision on defending set pieces is still needed. Expect the Italian to be loud and commanding as usual with some trademark shotstopping on show, nonetheless.

RB - Pedro Porro
The Spaniard has made the inverted fullback role his own; so much so, that his understudy Emerson Royal has struggled due to his lack of minutes, and it showed after Porro limped off against Newcastle. Some question marks remain over his fitness, but as of this morning Ange has confirmed that both he and Richarlison have trained well this week to make themselves available (via SPURSPLAY)

RCB - Cristian Romero
Once a rash and raw defender flying into tackles, the World Cup winner has shown much more composure since the arrival of Ange and flying Dutchman Micky van de Ven. Don't be fooled, however, as Romero will bring the passion and defend from the front in the comfort of knowing his center-back partner is sweeping the space in behind.

LCB - Micky Van de Ven
After a poor outing against West Ham, Van de Ven responded with his first home goal a week later against Nottingham Forest. Like many of the Tottenham backline, he will be looking to right the wrongs of St James' Park a fortnight ago.

LB - Ben Davies
With the news of Destiny Udogie missing the rest of this year's campaign, superstitious Spurs fans will take solace in the fact that the first team has never lost a home derby in which the Welshman has been on the match-day squad (Transfermarkt).

CM - Rodrigo Bentancur
The first of the big calls in this prediction, the truth is that Yves Bissouma has failed to build on his strong start to this season. Bentancur's tenacious tackling and pressing, coupled with his composure on the ball, should help Spurs transition from defense to attack and catch Arsenal on the break.

CM - Pape Matar Sarr
Limited to appearances off the bench in each of his last three outings, the Senegalese international has been a bright spark when called upon this season and gave the team a well-needed boost when brought on at halftime in the last home outing against Forest.

CAM - James Maddison
Despite an apparent drop in form since returning from injury, we always expect things to happen when the ball is at Maddison's feet. After two assists in the return fixture in the Emirates back in September, "Madders" will look to once again prove he's the man for the big occasion (Transfermarkt).

RW - Brennan Johnson
With Dejan Kulusevski enduring a tough time at the moment, Postecoglou has tended to favor Johnson in recent weeks. His speed, wide positioning and ability to attack deliveries from the opposite flank have shown him to be the perfect "Ange-ball" winger.

ST - Richarlison
It could be well argued that a lot of Tottenham's mishaps have been down to Richarlison's unfortunate injury record. The Brazilian has directly contributed to 13 Spurs goals this PL season (10 goals, three assists), despite being limited to just 26 playing minutes since March (Transfermarkt). After returning to full training this week, he will reportedly be assessed before kickoff on Sunday (Sports Mole).

LW - Son Heung-min

The main positive in bringing Richarlison into the side is that Sonny can return to his home on the left flank. Timo Werner has been excellent at getting into brilliant positions but has more times than not been let down by his finishing. The odds are, that if Spurs' captain and top goalscorer gets into similar positions - in his favored position - we might well see some better returns.

The aforementioned Bissouma, Kulusevski and Werner will be disappointed should this prediciton prove to be accurate and will look to respond positively. With further options around the park in Dragusin, Hojbjerg, and Lo Celso, fans have every right to be confident of a result that can kickstart the last push for the Champions League next season.