Tottenham v Arsenal: the key match-ups in the north London derby

Before Tottenham’s chaotic deadline day in January, they gave goalkeeper and captain Hugo Lloris a new deal. Lloris has been a consistent performer since he joined the club a decade ago from Lyon and, while now 35, Spurs went against the grain and tied the France goalkeeper down to a two-and-a-half year contract. Their faith in Lloris is not misplaced. Only Brazilian pair Alisson and Ederson (20) have kept more clean sheets than Lloris in the Premier League this season (13) and his experience will be key in the run-in.

Lloris has played in 20 north London derbies, whereas Aaron Ramsdale has only played in one – and he did not have much to do in it. Ramsdale made just three saves when Arsenal beat Spurs 3-1 in September as Nuno Espírito Santo’s short spell at the club nosedived.

When Ramsdale joined Arsenal from Sheffield United last summer, some fans questioned the wisdom of spending £30m on a goalkeeper who had been relegated for two straight seasons – with Bournemouth in 2020 and Sheffield United in 2021. But Ramsdale has been vital for the Gunners. His tally of 12 clean sheets in 31 outings is a respectable return and his save success rate of 71.6% is the sixth best in the Premier League this season.

Centre-backs Cristian Romero and Gabriel will add a touch of South American spice to the north London derby. When Spurs signed Romero last summer, their supporters were understandably excited at the prospect of a no-holds-barred Argentinian lining up at the back. Romero won plenty of admirers while playing for Atalanta last season, winning the Serie A defender of the year award.

His tally of 62 tackles is the third best in the Spurs squad this season even though he missed a chunk of the campaign through injury, but it’s