Ray Parlour names interesting North London XI with seven Arsenal and four Tottenham players
Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur are gearing up to face each other in the North London derby for the first time this season on Saturday.
Ahead of the encounter, which will take place at the Emirates Stadium, former Gunners midfielder Ray Parlour has come up with an interesting XI featuring players from both sides.
With Arsenal having been the standout side in the Premier League so far, it should come as no surprise that the list is dominated by Gunners players.
A number of Tottenham stars who have been exceptional since the campaign kicked off also made it into the combined XI.
"There's a lack of fear within this Arsenal team!" 🔴
Alan Smith looks ahead to Saturday's North London derby. 🍿 https://t.co/yAU5THLbKG
Starting from the back, Ray Parlour gave the nod to Aaron Ramsdale to feature between the sticks. The Englishman has a four-man defense right in front of him.
Ben White is selected as the option at right-back, with Oleksandr Zinchenko deployed on the left hand of the backline. Christian Romero and William Saliba occupy the two centre-half roles to complete the four-man wall.
In midfield, Ray Parlour named Arsenal's powerhouse Thomas Partey, featuring alongside Tottenham's Rodrigo Bentancur in a double pivot role, with Martin Odegaard deployed as a number 10 with the freedom to roam about the central areas and create magic.
🗣️ "They've had a fantastic start"
Antonio Conte discusses Arsenal's season so far ahead of the North London derby. https://t.co/CvnOXg0zel
Son Heung-min's brilliance for Tottenham this season hasn't gone unnoticed by Ray Parlour. The South Korean made it into the Englishman's attack, taking up the spot on the left flank in the combined XI of Arsenal and Tottenham players.
On the right flank, Parlour gave the nod to Bukayo Saka, who has been in sensational form in recent weeks, while Harry Kane was given the last attacking spot to be the team's striker.
In summary, the Gunners have the upper hand in terms of numbers, with seven of the 11 spots covered by their players, while only four were allocated to the Spurs. It remains to be seen how the selected players will fare with their respective teams when the North London derby kicks off tomorrow.
How Arsenal and Tottenham have fared in the Premier League so far this season
Thanks to their impressive performances and results since the campaign kicked off, Arsenal currently lead the race for the Premier League title with 18 points. They've recorded six victories and one defeat to their name in seven games in the English top flight so far.
Spurs, on the other hand, aren't far behind the Gunners. Antonio Conte's men are ranked third in the table right now with 17 points in seven games. They've won five of their seven matches in the division so far, drawing the remaining two.