It’s time for Nicholas Pepe to announce himself against Tottenham

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Tottenham Hotspur are yet to keep a clean sheet this season as they head into a tricky North London derby against Arsenal on Sunday.

The stage is set for Nicholas Pepe to announce himself to the Arsenal supporters on Sunday as their team take on their bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

Arsenal fans will be well aware of the talent Pepe has in his locker and they know it’s a matter of time before he starts causing opposition defences problems.

In his first three Premier League matches, he has looked lively, threatening and he seems to be getting better as those minutes stack up – but he is yet to get off the mark with a goal.

Given Tottenham’s recent problems, especially from a defensive standpoint, then Pepe has a great opportunity to score his first goal for the club and pile more misery on Mauricio Pochettino’s side.

On the opening day of the Premier League season, Spurs conceded a very soft goal against Aston Villa, as their back four was once again questioned during the defeat against Newcastle.

In between, they faced champions Manchester City at the Etihad, and despite walking away with one point to their name, Spurs conceded 30 efforts at their goal – something they can’t afford to do again.

Plus, with key man Jan Vertonghen still not being picked, Danny Rose producing poor displays and Davinson Sanchez also falling into that same bracket. This is a great chance for Unai Emery’s side to cause some damage.

Whilst form does go out of the window on derby day, a player like Pepe, who should have scored against Liverpool at Anfield last time out, will be licking his lips as he faces off against Tottenham for the first time.

If Pepe can find those gaps in between the defence and the midfield then his pace, directness and trickery will cause Pochettino’s side all sorts of problems.

The fact that Virgil van Dijk, who is arguably the best defender in Europe, was backing off Pepe when they met last Sunday just proves the difficult task Spurs’ defence will be up against.

Given the strength, pace and power that Arsenal have in their forward lines, it would be a surprise if they didn’t find the back of the net on Sunday. It’s just a case of can they also prevent those silly mistakes at the back?