Harry Kane and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to take centre stage for Tottenham and Arsenal

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  • Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

    Tottenham and Arsenal are two sides on the outside looking in but both can give their top-four hopes a major boost – along with bragging rights – with victory in Saturday’s north-London derby at Wembley.

    Here, we look at the key battles which will form the narrative of the Premier League‘s biggest game this weekend.

    STRIKING TALENT

    HARRY KANE V PIERRE-EMERICK AUBAMEYANG

    Kane is a master of identifying gaps and given Arsenal’s defence leaves more spaces than an empty car park, the Spurs striker will be favoured to add to his tally of six goals in six league games against the Gunners.

    The 24-year-old has emerged as a bona fide world class striker this season with his all-round game elevating him onto a level with the likes of Barcelona’s Luis Suarez.

    Kane’s quality in possession, playing it short or spreading the play, is superb while his ability to find space and then add an unerring finish has him topping the goalscoring charts once more.

    Another striker in the conversation of inhabiting the elite category is Aubameyang.

    Where Kane is all craft and guile, Aubameyang is pace and power, displaying his obvious qualities in his goalscoring debut.

    The 28-year-old is a genuine spearhead, and the worry at Dortmund was his reliance on the quality around him. But with Mesut Ozil and Henrikh Mkhitaryan lining up in support, the supply line to Aubameyang is well stocked.

    However, he has a reputation of going missing in the big games and if Arsenal struggle to break Spurs down, the Gabon international won’t offer much in the way of ingenuity.

    08 02 2018 Preview KaneAubameyang (1)

    CHIEF CREATORS

    CHRISTIAN ERIKSEN V MESUT OZIL 

    If Dele Alli and Kane are Tottenham’s neural pathways to goal then Eriksen is the brain. A supremely intelligent player, the Dane orchestrates Spurs attacks, giving direction to Alli and Kane who have both looked lost without Eriksen in the side.

    There is no other player in this Spurs outfit with the acumen and technical ability to turn possession into chances, linking between the phases of play to enable Pochettino’s side to either sit deep and counter, or press high and attack at speed.

    Eriksen is their Plan A and Plan B but without him there is no schemer – nullifying his influence will be integral to Arsenal’s success.

    To extend the cerebral analogy, Ozil is Arsenal’s Pineal gland. The German sits at the centre of Arsenal’s creative hub and controls their pattern of play but in keeping with the Pineal gland – which controls the rhythm of sleep – he can be caught napping as evidenced in the Swansea defeat.

    Still, Ozil has a genuine threat ahead of him to slide his clever passes to and when you consider Arsenal have seldom possessed the top striker in the mould of Claudio Pizarro, Karim Benzema or Miroslav Klose – as was the case in his previous clubs or for Germany – we could yet see the best from the 29-year-old.

    Add to that the fact the creative responsibility is now halved with the acquisition of Henrikh Mkhitaryan, and we could see Ozil’s splashes of genius at Wembley.

    08 02 2018 Preview EriksenOzil

    DEFENSIVE DUTY

    JAN VERTONGHEN V LAURENT KOSCIELNY

    The discussion of the world’s best centre-backs rarely includes Vertonghen but his talent should not go unappreciated.

    Manchester City defender John Stones is revered for his passing out from the back but Vertonghen is equally impressive and arguably more skilled with his ball-carrying.

    The Belgian’s confidence to drive into midfield sets a natural press out of the back and forces sides into retreat and against Arsenal, who struggle to set their defensive lines, that could free space for the likes of Eriksen, Alli and Son Heung-min.

    Vertonghen’s bombs forward complement well with Toby Alderweireld’s diagonal balls and Davinson Sanchez’s rigidity.

    If Vertonghen isn’t recognised as a world-class defender, then Koscielny has long been considered among the best.

    Elite centre-backs are at a premium across Europe, but the Frenchman’s awareness and command of Arsenal’s defence over the last six to seven years has been excellent.

    He hasn’t been helped by Wenger’s insistence on a back three this season but they look far more assured and composed with Koscielny marshaling a four-man defence.

    The 32-year-old will have a job on Saturday, though. Kane is a nightmare to track and his concentration cannot slip with the England striker surgical when gaps appear.

    08 02 2018 Preview VertonghenKoscielny

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