Arsenal vs Tottenham Predicted Starting XI: Olivier Giroud To Start

Laurent Koscielny and Shkodran Mustafi

Kostafi is in a bit of a rough patch and the fact that Harry Kane is returning does not give me any warm and fuzzies. However, Kane is not a speed merchant, and most of the problems that Kostafi (in particular Mustafi) have had have come from speedy, technical forwards. Which is most certainly not Harry Kane.

Still, I want to see a clean sheet. Tottenham’s offense has been paltry and easy to shut out lately. Granted, that has been without Kane, I still don’t see the reintroduction of one man, who is bound to be rusty, as that much of a problem. Sure, he makes me nervous, but stick Koscielny on his hip the entire 90 minutes and we will be fine.

There won’t be too terribly much else to worry about. The Danish wonder Christian Eriksen has not been himself this year, Dele Alli hasn’t quite delivered the encore that was expected and the shock of the season, Son Heung-Min, has really cooled off.

I have gone from skepticism to pure optimism in the span of writing this slide. Arsenal’s defense can and will hold strong, especially in front of a home crowd.