Will Gunner Lacazette get a shot?

Arsenal will be desperate to beat Spurs and keep title hopes alive

KEY MEN: (From left) Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi of Barcelona and French striker Antoine Griezmann of Atletico Madrid will want to find the net tomorrow, but of the three only Messi is in form this season.

ARSENAL’S record signing Alexandre Lacazette has not been a certain starter this season and will be desperate to prove his worth in their Premier League derby against Tottenham Hotspur tomorrow.

Arsenal head into the match in sixth place, four points adrift of Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham in third and needing victory to stay in touch with leaders Manchester City.

Defeat to their north London rivals would leave Arsenal’s title hopes hanging by a thread, but there is no guarantee that manager Arsene Wenger will put his trust in his £47 million (about R880m) close season signing to lead the line.

Lacazette,

has scored six goals in his debut campaign in England, yet has only once played a full 90 minutes for the club.

The 26-year-old came on as a substitute in the defeat by Manchester City before the international break, scoring a goal that briefly brought his side back into contention.

He also did not start the humbling 4-0 loss at Liverpool earlier in the season.

Yet, when he has started, the Frenchman has shown he is not just a goalscorer, particularly in the 0-0 draw with champions Chelsea in September.

Lacazette began the match with Alex Iwobi and Danny Welbeck in attack, keeping constant pressure on Chelsea’s defence and nullifying their ability to pass into midfield.

Former Arsenal great Ian Wright believes it is time that Lacazette was allowed to shine.

“If I had him in my squad he would start literally every game. He takes half chances, he finishes well with both feet and I think now he is ready to be let loose,” he told the Premier League’s website (www. premierleague.com).

“The more he plays, the more consistently he plays for the duration of the game, the more goals he is going to score.”

Meanwhile, Gunners striker Olivier Giroud has been ruled out of the game, Wenger revealed yesterday. Giroud, who has scored once in 10 league appearances this season, netted in France’s friendly win over Wales last Friday.

“It is one of the fixtures of course that is very important for us and that you want to win. Basically as well, in the table, we have to make some ground up with the top teams,” Wenger said. “You need to have full commitment, but as well be lucid enough and calm enough to focus on the game.”

Tottenham should be able to call on the Premier League’s jointtop scorer Harry Kane, who is expected to recover from the hamstring injury that forced him to pull out of the England squad.

The striker has scored six times in five Premier League games against Arsenal and will be hoping to cause a defence that has already conceded 16 goals in the league this season further grief.

Manchester City will look to pull further away at the top of the Premier League when they travel to Leicester City later tomorrow, while the former champions will attempt to replicate their performance in this match-up last season, where a Jamie Vardy hat-trick helped them to a 4-2 victory.

Chelsea visit a West Bromwich Albion side sitting just a point above the relegation zone and in desperate need of a first win in the league since August.

Elsewhere, Manchester United host mid-table Newcastle tomorrow. – Reuters