Ajibade Olusesan 
•As Tottenham, Arsenal clash
Tottenham and Arsenal enter their English Premier League faceoff on Sunday with only one option which is to win if they are to boost their fading hopes of qualifying for the UEFA Champions League next season. The London sides are far behind in the race for the Top Four but they still both have mathematical chances of making it but a slip up tomorrow for either of them could mean the end of the road. However, both Coaches Jose Mourinho and Mikel Arteta have the potent weapons to do the hatchet job but how things pan out will depend on who comes to the party.
Arteta will certainly look up to his talismanic captain Pierre- Emerick Aubameyang whose leadership has been inspirational since the restart of the season after COVID-19 enforced break. Aubameyang’s scoring prowess has never been in doubt and that was why Arsenal splashed £56 million on his transfer in January 2018 but he has shown that he has much more than hitting the bull’s eye as he has demonstrated tremen- dous leadership skills on and off the pitch and the two combinations is what he would put on show when he file out at the Tottenham Sta- dium on Sunday.
The Gabon international netted his 20th of the season in Arsenal 2-2 draw with Leicester City midweek to once again put him in contention for the EPL’s Golden Boot award. Aubameyang shared the prize last season with Sadio Mane and Mo Salah but will be determined to land it alone this term. And while the goal was a landmark for him at Arsenal as he became only the second Gunners player in PL history – along with Thierry Henry – to hit over 20 league goals in consecutive seasons, there’s an even more impressive stat behind ‘Auba’s’ goals. Aubameyang finds himself in elite company in Europe as being one of only four players to hit over 20 league goals in each of the last five seasons.
The players alongside him? Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and Robert Lewandowski. Those statistics provide the Gabonese extra motivation to shoot down Spurs in the Battle of Londoners but Mourinho will also be keen on spurring his talismanic striker Harry Kane into full gear.
Ordinarily, Kane should be fighting for the Golden Boot now but he has seen his season decimated by injury which ruled him out for several months. The Englishman returned to action at the restart of the season but he hasn’t shown that sharpness he is reputed for. He toiled all night without success in the dour goalless draw at Bournemouth but the Portuguese coach will be desper- ate to see his forward shake off poor form to gun down the Gunners on Sunday.
