The huge opportunity that faces Spurs now, to finish in seventh place above both Middlesbrough and Aston Villa is in the player’s own hands, with Villa at White Hart Lane on Sunday and Spurs at the Riverside in their final away game of the season a week on Saturday.
Should Martin Jol's side succeed in reaching the UEFA Cup next season they will do it with a line up expected to start tonight with an average age of 24, currently the youngest in the Premiership. It will also mark a first return to European competition since the defeat in Germany against Kaiserslautern that came three days before the 2-1 win against Arsenal in November 1999. Then Stephen Carr was the same age as Michael Carrick is now. Chris Perry (Charlton), Sol Campbell (Arsenal) and Stephen Clemence (Birmingham) who all still play in the Premiership today were all in that Spurs side, but others including David Ginola, Chris Armstrong, and the game’s match winner on that occasion, Tim Sherwood, have all long, since left the Premiership.
Of the Arsenal players Patrick Viera, Freddie Ljungberg and Dennis Bergkamp remain key members of Arsene Wenger’s ageing squad. Despite the Arsenal coach conceding the Premiership is headed to Stamford Bridge for the first time in 50 years, Arsenal and United remain in direct competition for second place and the remaining automatic Champions League qualification place.
Bet on the outcome of the north London derby with Stanley Bet: Arsenal to win 1/2; Spurs to win 5/1; Draw 13/5.