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Former FIFA World Cup Golden Boot winner Gary Lineker has backed Tottenham Hotspur to win their match against Arsenal. Spurs will host the Gunners at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the Premier League tonight (12 May).
Lineker notably played for the Lilywhites between 1989 and 1992 after his three-year stint with Barcelona. The Englishman scored 39 times in 71 matches for the club while lifting the FA Cup title.
Ahead of his former side's match against Arsenal, Lineker asked former Gunners 'Invincible' Martin Keown for his predictions on the BBC's Match of the Day. Keown backed his former side to win the match and Lineker responded (as quoted by HITC):
“I am going with Tottenham, just to equal things up.”
With Keown then labeling the contest, “the biggest game in living memory," Lineker went on to ask him:
“The biggest game in living memory as they are playing for fourth place?”
The fixture between the Gunners and Spurs has major ramifications for both their seasons. Mikel Arteta's side currently occupy the final UEFA Champions League qualification spot with 66 points from 35 Premier League matches. Spurs, meanwhile, are four points behind in fifth, having played the same number of games.
A home victory or a draw would extend the top-four fight into the final two matches of the league season. However, defeat for Antonio Conte's men would seal the Gunners' place in next season's Champions League once and for all.
Arsenal vs Tottenham has been a closely-contested fixture in recent times
Arsenal and Spurs have met six times in the Premier League since the start of 2019. The two teams have picked up a couple of wins apiece while the other two matches have ended in draws.
The Gunners have notably won both of their most recent meetings with Spurs. They won 3-1 earlier this season and 2-1 in the 2020-21 campaign. However, both those victories came at the Emirates.
Arteta's side have lost on their last two visits to Tottenham by scorelines of 2-1 and 2-0.
Arsenal will enter this particular match with more confidence, having won each of their last four matches. They have beaten Chelsea, Manchester United, West Ham United and Leeds United in that run.
Spurs, on the other hand, have won just once in their last four matches. They have drawn twice and lost once, with their latest result being an encouraging 1-1 stalemate at Anfield against title challengers Liverpool.
