Tottenham team news: Predicted XI vs Arsenal with Solanke and Van de Ven decisions made

Tottenham will be desperate to secure a morale-boosting victory in the first north London derby of the new Premier League campaign. They have not beaten Arsenal in almost two years but will fancy their chances of securing all three points on Sunday afternoon.

Ange Postecoglou’s side have only taken four points from their opening three matches and were beaten by Newcastle before the international break. However, there is plenty of optimism ahead of Sunday’s clash with Arsenal missing Declan Rice, while Martin Odegaard is a huge doubt.

Express Sport takes a look at how Tottenham could line up…

Tottenham predicted XI vs Arsenal (4-3-3)

Goalkeeper – Vicario

Guglielmo Vicario will retain his place between the sticks as Tottenham’s first-choice goalkeeper. He has performed well in spite of their patchy form, only conceding three goals in as many Premier League games.

He will have his toughest test of the campaign when he is tasked with keeping out the likes of Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz on Sunday.

Defence –  Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie

Tottenham will be boosted by the return of Micky van de Ven in central defence following his injury in the win over Everton. He missed the defeat to Newcastle but Postecoglou confirmed on Friday that he would be ready to play against Arsenal.

“Micky’s good, he’s trained all the way through the international break and it was good for him to stay with us to build him back up so he’s ready to go,” said the Aussie.

The rest of Tottenham’s back four is likely to be unchanged with Pedro Porro, Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie all set to feature.

Midfield – Sarr, Bentancur, Maddison

Tottenham’s midfield trio of Pape Matar Sarr, Rodrigo Bentancur and James Maddison is likely to remain untouched for the visit of Arsenal. Yves Bissouma could be forced to miss the match after picking up a groin injury while on international duty with Mali.

Discussing his fitness levels, Postecoglou said: “Everyone’s reporting all well except for Biss. He’s got a bit of an issue, but we’ll have a look at him over the next couple of days and see how it settles.

“It’s not serious, but he’s getting treatment today. We’ll see how it goes. It’s a tweak in his groin. The initial reports is it’s not serious which means there is a chance for Sunday, but if he doesn’t make Sunday then I’ll assume he’ll be right for after that.”

Attack – Son, Johnson, Solanke

Dominic Solanke could also feature in Tottenham’s starting line-up after recovering from an ankle problem. He returned to training earlier this week and is likely to be thrown straight in, given the difference he will make to Tottenham’s hopes of victory.

The former Bournemouth man will almost certainly be supported by Brennan Johnson and Son Heung-min in the wide positions. Richarlison will not be involved after picking up an injury in training, which could keep him out of action for a number of weeks.

Tottenham predicted XI vs Arsenal (4-3-3) – Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Sarr, Bentancur, Maddison; Son, Johnson, Solanke.