ADAM GOODWIN (@agjournalism) takes a view on the North London derby on Saturday lunchtime.
Tottenham v Arsenal | Sunday 10th February 2018, 12:30 | Sky Sports
Tottenham will be looking to avenge the 2-0 defeat they suffered at the hands of their bitter rivals in the reverse fixture, but Arsenal would love to do the double over their North London neighbours.
These two sides last faced off at Wembley in an FA Cup semi-final a quarter of century ago, and this latest tussle potentially holds similar importance.
Spurs
When Tottenham fans would’ve looked at their fixture list for the end of January and the start of February, there would have definitely been some worries about being seriously cut adrift from the top-four. But after a win against Manchester United and a draw against Liverpool, they’re still only one point behind Chelsea in fourth.
Their 2-2 draw against Liverpool didn’t come without controversy however, as they were awarded two dubious penalties, one of which came in the fifth minute of added time. But they certainly deserved the point after dominating the majority of the game and that will give them confidence heading into the North London derby.
Spurs’ Wembley woes are now well behind them and they haven’t lost a game at their temporary home since the first match of this season when they were beaten 2-1 by Chelsea. They’ve scored 28 goals in 13 matches at Wembley so far this campaign, and with Harry Kane netting his 100th Premier League goal last week, you wouldn’t put it past them bagging another hatful again this weekend.
Arsenal
Arsenal’s 5-1 victory over Everton last weekend was the perfect way to kick off the post-Alexis era, and the trio of Mesut Ozil, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang looked electric in attack. It was clear to see that Mkhitaryan and Aubameyang have a great relationship and Wenger’s decision to re-unite the pair after their superb spell together at Dortmund was a stroke of genius.
Petr Cech, Nacho Monreal and Danny Welbeck are all doubts for the derby, which will probably see David Ospina deputise in goal. The Colombian has only made one league appearance so far this campaign, but after Cech’s questionable form recently, perhaps it’s a blessing in disguise.
For a team as big as Arsenal to have only won three of their last 13 away games in the Premier League is atrocious, but they have only failed to score in 1 of their last 10 matches away from the Emirates.
Betting angles
Tottenham have a huge game in the Champions League against Juventus on Tuesday, and whilst they might have one eye on that game, I still believe they’ll be good enough to beat their North London rivals on Saturday lunchtime.
Their form at ‘home' has been terrific of late and I can’t see that changing against an Arsenal side who are really poor away from home.
I do fancy Arsenal to grab a goal though, especially after watching Ozil, Mkhitaryan and Aubameyang last weekend against Everton, so I’m going to back Spurs to win and Both Teams To Score at 23/10 with BetStars.
I’m also going to have a side bet on a Jack Wilshere red card. The midfielder is likely to get overrun in the centre of the park by Eric Dier and Moussa Dembele and a mixture of frustration and ill-discipline could see Wilshere being given his marching orders. Back it at 20/1 with Unibet.
Best Bets
Tottenham v Arsenal – Tottenham to win and Both Teams To Score (23/10 BetStars)
Tottenham v Arsenal – Jack Wilshere to be sent off (20/1 Unibet)
