There is no fixture in the Premier League calendar more highly anticipated around the league than the North London Derby between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal, and with both teams currently in the top five of the table, there is no doubt that Sunday's game is going to be a hard fought encounter.
Heading into the matchup, here are three players on Tottenham who could have key roles to play for Spurs in Sunday's game, based on how Thomas Frank has utilized his players, but who could ultimately be major liabilities to a victory or draw.
ST Richarlison
It has to begin with Richarlison, who has been an abject disaster over the past several weeks, and while he did technically get on the score sheet against Manchester United before the November international break, every single Spurs fan who watched the game will tell you how putrid he was.
Richarlison clearly does not deserve to be starting for Spurs, but Thomas Frank has been handing him minutes anyway. Mathys Tel and a recovering Randal Kolo Muani are much better options against an elite Arsenal defense.
CM Rodrigo Bentancur
Likewise, Rodrigo Bentancur is another relatively big name and experienced Premier League (and Serie A) starter who has been getting starts from Frank more based on his reputation and veteran status rather than his play on the pitch. The Uruguayan international has not been as bad as Richarlison, but his positive games this season have been fewer than the negatives.
Furthermore, Spurs have better, younger midfielders who can offer more against Arsenal. Pape Matar Sarr is practicing and clear to play, and he's been considerably better in midfield and matches up with Arsenal more favorably than Bentancur, who will get totally overrun by Martin Zubimendi and Declan Rice.
LW Wilson Odobert
Although Wilson Odobert is the best option Tottenham have on the left wing and changed the game against Manchester United, he is still too young and too raw to be considered a great matchup for Spurs against this vaunted Arsenal defense. Odobert is going to struggle out there with the physicality of the Gunners defense and could find himself on the periphery of the game.
Long term, Odobert is going to be a great player for Tottenham, but in the short term, the fact that he is so important to Tottenham right now is an indictment of this club failing to address the left wing position this summer.