Tottenham Hotspur vs Arsenal
Arsenal make the short trip to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday for another derby, and this season it means more to the fierce rivals than last.
The 2019/20 league season was rather forgettable for both, though Spurs eventually reached the Europa League places and Arsenal won the FA Cup. So head coaches Jose Mourinho and Mikel Arteta had plenty to build on. The North London derby, Premier League: Spurs vs Arsenal, is the capital city’s biggest game and there’s a whole lot riding on it this time. Spurs are at the top of the Premier League table, ahead of Liverpool on goal difference, while the Gunners are languishing in 14th place.
The Spurs vs Arsenal betting odds tell a tale of White dominance this season. Arsenal under Arteta are still not where the talented coach wants them to be, while Jose might just be working his magic once again.
Talking Points
Will Kane be fit to face Arsenal?
There has been a doubt surrounding Harry Kane’s fitness this week, and that has dominated the Spurs vs Arsenal news in the run-up to the derby but, with Jose Mourinho being rather vague about the situation Arsenal must be wondering whether there’s some kidology going on here. Jose loves to play the mind games and he’s usually successful, but the Spurs skipper was absent from training ahead of the Whites’ Europa League clash against LASK on Thursday night.
Harry Kane warming up with his team mates before Tottenham Hotspur’s Europa League match against Ludogoretz
Fellow striker Erik Lamela was also missing and Mourinho has ruled him out of the derby but has done no such thing when it concerns his captain. It seems likely that Kane is missing the Europa League clash in the hope of being fit for the big one, and that would be good news for Heung-Min Son, who has been the chief beneficiary of Kane’s nine assists this season. The South Korean hitman has scored nine goals, while Kane has seven and they have become the most lethal partnership in the league.
But a Mourinho team can always defend too, and a 0-0 draw with Chelsea took them to the summit last week. It was a Jose masterclass as his team shut out an impressive Chelsea attack. The Blues had 60 per cent possession and won the shot count 13 to five, though Spurs keeper Hugo Lloris had little to do before making a late save to deny Olivier Giroud.
Arsenal have lost the cutting edge
The Gunners have one of the Premier League’s most prolific strikers in their ranks too, in Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, but this season he doesn’t yet have his shooting boots on, scoring only twice from 18 efforts. Alexandre Lacazette is top scorer with three and that is not the type of return Arteta expects from his front two.
There has been a question over the quality of the service Arsenal’s strikers have received. In last week’s 2-1 defeat to Wolves, the Gunners slung in a colossal 35 crosses but only three were accurate. Arteta believes that if the crosses keep coming in then the goals will follow, maybe so but it’s a long way away from the total passing football of Arsenal teams gone by.
Willian has been the most productive assist maker with three, but along with Bukayo Sako, Kieran Tierney and Hector Bellerin he was way off the mark against Wolves.
The Gunners struggled to earn a point in a goalless draw away to Leeds United, indeed they were lucky to get away with that after Nicola Pepe was sent off and Leeds his the woodwork three times. Arteta’s team needs to find its cutting edge again, and when better to start than against Spurs on Sunday?
History
Arsenal have had the better of London derbies in recent years, winning 24 of the 62 meetings in the Premier League era with Spurs managing 13 victories and 25 draws.
Spurs won this game 2-1 in July to leapfrog their opponents into eighth place, as they made a late charge up the table to secure a Europa League spot. Alexandre Lacazette gave Arsenal an early lead but, after Son had equalised, Toby Alderweireld’s late header won the points and the North London bragging rights.
Mourinho, as a Premier League coach at Chelsea, Manchester United and Spurs has never lost to Arsenal at home, ten games in total.
Betting Tip
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Tottenham Hotspur vs Arsenal | Over 2.50 @ 1.99 |
| December 07, 00:30 (GMT+8) |
Spurs are at 1.96 with SBOTOP to win this match so Jose should feel confident of keeping his record intact, while Arsenal are at 3.80 and the draw is at 3.35.
It’s difficult to know what to make of Arsenal at the moment; they have the talent in the dugout and on the pitch, but simply aren’t firing. We might see a turnaround for the Gunners on Sunday which would probably mean goals at both ends.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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 = €20 (Highly confident) |
= €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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The post Premier League: More Than Pride at Stake in North London Derby appeared first on SBOTOP.