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The North London Derby Awaits

Cardiff City’s win over Wolverhampton Wanderers last night set the stage perfectly for another series of entertaining and intriguing Premier League games this weekend, but of course, that’s what we’ve come to expect. It’s the kind of division in which you never really know what is going to happen, and that’s just the way we like it. The unpredictability of it all keeps us on our toes, and that’ll be in full effect on Sunday when we get to witness three games that will make up the ultimate Derby Day extravaganza for fans who want to do nothing more than lie around on the sofa.

The game we’re going to focus on is, in our mind, one of the most exciting games of the season – and that’s Arsenal vs Tottenham Hotspur in the North London Derby. In any given scenario or situation this is viewed as a blockbuster game, and there’s just no getting around that. We’re talking about two of England’s finest squaring off in an encounter that good set the pace for the rest of the season, and that’s a lot of pressure to put on the shoulders of the two starting XIs. Even with that, though, they’ll be ready.

Unai Emery has been putting the necessary pieces in place for the Gunners to have a successful season ever since the summer transfer window, when he brought in a series of players that would mix and gel with their current crop of stars. In addition to that we’ve also seen a brand new mentality from this Arsenal side in the last few months, as they refuse to give up on games in the manner they did previously. That isn’t all down to the differences between Emery and Arsene Wenger, but it’s certainly something worth thinking about.

Mauricio Pochettino, on the other hand, has had to face a lot of criticism this season with some fans believing that he may no longer be the right man for the job despite having such a strong few years in charge of the club. They’ve got one of the strongest squads in the division, they have a bright future with a brand new stadium, and they seem to have a real direction. They sound like stereotypical aspects of any given game but it’s true, and as we look ahead to this game, there’s no doubt in our mind that Pochettino will be as cool as a cucumber from the first minute until the very last.

When you’re in the midst of an 18 game unbeaten run it can often be hard to bet against you, especially when it seems like you’ve just forgotten how to lose. In their last six games Arsenal have been very, very close to being defeated, although the run did start off with a 2-1 win over Blackpool that wasn’t overly convincing. They managed to edge out a 1-1 draw with Liverpool which was viewed as a good result, although 0-0 against Sporting and 1-1 against Wolves were both disappointing outings. The international break did them some good, though, as they registered 2-1 and 3-0 wins against Bournemouth and Vorskla respectively.

For the visitors, things have been a little bit more straightforward, as they’ve been on fire with six consecutive victories. They started things off with a nice 3-1 win over West Ham in the Carabao Cup, followed by a nervy 3-2 encounter against Wolves. They managed to edge out PSV 2-1 in the Champions League before another narrow win, this time against Crystal Palace. The 3-1 win against Chelsea really was the defining moment of their season so far, followed up by a really impressive 1-0 victory against Inter Milan to keep their European hopes alive.

As you’ll undoubtedly know these two teams have met on multiple occasions throughout the years, with Arsenal currently leading the overall head to head standings 81-63 with 51 draws in between. They first met back in 1896 but things have changed in a big way since then, with their last meeting taking place in Feburary where Spurs came out on top with a 1-0 win courtesy of that man Harry Kane. Arsenal will obviously be out for revenge in more ways than one, though, as they attempt to prove that they’re still the kings of North London.

The big story for Arsenal is going to be seeing whether or not Alexandre Lacazette is going to be fit in time for this game, with the Frenchman’s status being up in the air despite returning to training earlier this week. Mesut Ozil is expected to re-enter the starting XI after missing out against Bournemouth with Welbeck, Mavropanos and Monreal all being out with injuries. Aubameyang will likely still be able to find some openings regardless of who is around him, but having Lacazette by his side could be the key to them winning this depending on how much stock you put in his abilities.

Erik Lamela is going to be a doubt for Tottenham, after picking up a thigh injury during their big win over Inter Milan earlier this week. Kieran Trippier is on the verge of a return to full fitness after missing out the last few games with a groin injury, and his presence in the first team could prove to be vital to Spurs and how they set up tactically for this one. Sanchez, Wanyama and Dembele will all be big misses but when you take a look at their strongest possible team from what they’ve got available, they’ve still got enough star power to make some things happen at the Emirates.

Arsenal vs Tottenham Betting Prediction

There’s no room for error in any kind of high level Premier League game, but that’s especially true of the North London Derby. Alas, even though it’s often feisty, the quality of the two teams usually means that we don’t see quite as much of a focus on harsh challenges which has become the norm in derby games up and down the country. We believe this one is going to all be about who can implement their game plan early on, because whoever does will be able to dictate the pace in the middle of the park and that could be crucial.

We can see Spurs taking the lead relatively early on, before doubling their advantage – giving Arsenal a taste of their own medicine when it comes to scoring goals in quick succession. We think the Gunners will be able to pull one back only for Spurs to stretch out to a 4-1 lead, further emphasising just how much momentum they’ve been able to build up for themselves. Arsenal will pull another one back but it’ll be too little, too late, as Tottenham walk away with a convincing 4-2 win at the home of their bitter rivals.