Three ways Spurs could look to hurt Arsenal on Sunday

This weekend, Spurs face bitter rivals Arsenal in the 196th North London derby. The game presents a big opportunity for Ange Postecoglu's men to try and redeem their poor early season form, that has seen five points dropped already. Here are three avenues Spurs can exploit to try and do exactly that.

Three ways Spurs could look to hurt Arsenal on Sunday

1. The midfield battle

Firstly, and most obvious of all - the midfield battle. It is well-documented how depleted Arsenal are in midfield coming into this game. Declan Rice is suspended for receiving two yellow cards last time out against Brighton, whilst new signing Mikel Merino is out with a shoulder injury. To compound their frustration, Martin Odegaard has been ruled out after suffering an ankle injury in action for Norway on Monday.

Whoever Arsenal plays in midfield, will be far from optimal. Some people are suggesting they could play with a midfield 3 of; Thomas Partey, Jorginho, and Kai Havertz. Not only would they lose Havertz's presence up front, but the German international's starts in midfield last season coincided with a number of points dropped, most notably against Aston Villa in April.

They could throw highly-rated Ethan Nwaneri into the game, but it feels like took big an occasion for a 17-year-old player. Oleksandr Zinchenko could play in his more natural midfield position, but there has not been much talk of that.

Regardless of who plays, their first-choice midfield are all out of the game, and Spurs must take advantage. Despite a potential ban looming for Rodrigo Bentancur, he will be able to play in this game. As will Archie Gray, Pape Matar Sarr, and Yves Bissouma, despite the latter picking up a knock on international duty with Mali.

Any two of those four midfielders, with James Maddison likely playing in the number ten position, should be enough to win the midfield battle. It would be a serious red flag if Spurs aren't able to.

2. Down their right side and Arsenal's left

Secondly, Spurs can get joy down their right side and Arsenal's left. Whether it is Riccardo Caliafiori, Zinchenko, or Jurrien Timber - all three naturally drift into midfield and would feel even more inclined to do so here. The former two are not blessed with crazy pace either, especially Zinchenko.

Considering Arsenal are likely to play on the front foot, there will be plenty of space in behind for Spurs. As a result, this could be a game that Brennan Johnson thrives in. Failing that, it could be another opportunity for Wilson Odobert. It would feel harsh on Dejan Kulusevski, especially after his recent exploits with Sweden, but the match-up at hand has to be taken into consideration. Even then, playing the 24-year-old as a number ten instead could be the play.

3. The home crowd

Third of all, and more of an intangible - the home crowd could be really key. With the aforementioned injuries and suspensions, Spurs will seldom get a better chance in the immediate future to get a win over Arsenal. The crowd needs to smell blood and make sure the players do too. This game has to be sensed as a huge opportunity.

Arsenal have developed a reputation for folding under pressure of late, and the Spurs faithful can play their part in making this happen again. Even last season, Arsenal were crumbling towards the end of the game and the magnitude of the mountain Spurs gave themselves to climb in the first place is the only reason that a 3-0 lead was not bottled. Let's make the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium a hostile fortress on Sunday.