Tottenham to face Arsenal on penultimate week of season in potential fourth-place shootout

Tottenham and Arsenal are set to learn the date of their much-anticipated North London Derby after it was postponed earlier this season. The two clubs will face each other in the second-to-last week of the campaign in a potentially mouth-watering encounter.

The North London Derby has been pencilled in for the penultimate week of the season in what could be a crucial clash in the Premier League race. Both Arsenal and Tottenham are chasing down a spot in the top four.

With Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea comfortably in Champions League positions, it leaves only one spot up for grabs with plenty of clubs desperate to snatch it. Manchester United are also in the race, as well as West Ham.

But Arsenal will consider themselves the favourites as they sit three points clear in fourth with a game in hand over Tottenham and United. And that game is against Spurs – which could prove pivotal.

The original date for the game was set to go ahead on January 16 and was to be broadcast on Sky Sports. But an outbreak of Covid in the Arsenal camp meant that the game had to be called off but finding a suitable replacement date has proved tricky.

According to the Daily Mail, the week beginning May 9 has been picked as the ideal time to replay the match with no European football in the week. It means that the match will likely go ahead in the middle of the week, maximising viewership.

The two sides will likely be vying for that final spot in the Premier League and the game is set to go ahead a week before the final match of the season. It could end up being a blockbuster clash with Champions League football in the balance.

Tensions have already flared between the managers after Antonio Conte took issue with Mikel Arteta bemoaning the fixture list from the Premier League. The Italian was less than pleased after his side had already been affected by the Covid postponements.

He said: “I only want to remember [remind] Arteta [about] the game that we postponed – Tottenham v Arsenal, okay? Yes, If we speak about fair or unfair, okay, and, I stop.

“If someone want to speak about fair or unfair. We postponed a game Tottenham v Arsenal, if you remember. I don’t forget this and I think it is not right to speak about fair or unfair.”