Nacer Chadli vs. Alexis Sanchez
There is some debate as to whether or not Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino will choose to replace Chadli in the starting 11 with Hueng-Min Son. I’d love to believe that’s going to happen, but my gut tells me that Poch will stick with the more physical Belgian for what should be a hotly contested derby.
Arsenal, on the other hand, will almost certainly start Chilean star Alexis Sanchez. There’s been a lot of chatter about his dip in form as of late, but he’s still a world-class talent. Betting against him to play one of his best matches of the year given his team’s desperation would be very foolish.
Even suffering from a slight injury and a run of poor form, Tottenham will still focus a lot of their defensive attention on Alexis. Even if he isn’t the one taking advantage of that, it creates a great deal of space for the team’s other attackers. Frankly, his reputation is good enough to influence the game on its own.
This might be the most one-sided match-up on the pitch. Chadli is not in Alexis’ league and would need to play one of his best matches to even earn a draw. Arsenal is the clear winner at this position.
Advantage: Arsenal
Next: Number 10