Emotions will run high as Arsenal and Tottenham renew their North London rivalry this coming Saturday. Arsenal are coming off a morale-boosting 3-0 win over Aston Villa this past weekend and will look to make it two in a row against a Tottenham side who are winless in their last three Premier League assignments.
Who will emerge victorious in this derby clash? Read on for a complete preview of this matchup and while you’re at it you can check out our preview of another big Premier League showdown this weekend between Manchester United and West Ham.
[sc:Soccer ]
Tottenham Hotspur vs. Arsenal Betting Preview
Where: Emirates Stadium, London
When: Saturday, September 27, 12:30 PM ET
Line: Tottenham Hotspur (+350) at Arsenal (-155); tie: +255 – view all EPL lines
What’s at Stake
[sc:Soccer240banner ]Arsenal can close the gap on leaders Chelsea to just one point with a win over Tottenham this coming Saturday. Spurs, on the other hand, can barge into the top four with a rare away win at the Emirates.
Betting on Tottenham Hotspur
It looks like the honeymoon phase is already over for manager Mauricio Pochettino. The 42-year-old had a dream start to his Tottenham career winning his first two Premier League games by a combined score of 5-0 but a sudden bad run of form has left Tottenham in ninth place ahead of their much-anticipated derby clash with Arsenal this coming Saturday.
Tottenham looked out of sorts in their last Premier League game against West Bromwich Albion as they lost 1-0 via a James Morrison header in the 74th minute. It was the second straight time that they failed to score at home, with Liverpool shutting them out as well last August 31st (3-0).
A major problem for Tottenham heading into the game against Arsenal is their lack of scoring. Through five games, they have scored only seven goals with Emmanuel Adebayor, Roberto Soldado and Harry Kane all misfiring during that span.
In the game against West Brom, it took them 70 minutes before they even had an effort on goal. It won’t get easier for them this coming weekend when they face their archrivals Arsenal at the Emirates.
The Gunners are coming off their finest performance in the Premier League this season as they shut out Aston Villa 3-0. It was the first time this season that they have managed to record a clean sheet.
The one thing that can lift the spirits of Spurs fans this season, however, is their away form. They are unbeaten in their two road games this season, defeating West Ham 1-0 in the opener and drawing 2-2 with Sunderland last September 13th.
Tottenham is 1-4 in their last five Premier League games against Arsenal dating back to February 2012.
Betting on Arsenal
Mesut Ozil responded to critics in the best possible way, delivering a tour-de-force performance against Aston Villa last Saturday to boost Arsenal’s Premier League title hopes.
After he was blasted for his disappearing act against Dortmund midweek, Ozil was back to his best against Aston Villa, scoring the opener and then creating the second for new signing Danny Welbeck. Three goals in four minutes were all it took for fans to remember why Arsene Wenger spent 42 million pounds on him last summer.
Wenger made an important tactical decision in the game against Aston Villa as he deployed Ozil in a more central position. The German rewarded the Frenchman’s faith with his man-of-match performance as he showed Wenger that he is a natural no. 10.
What made the switch work as well as it did was Ozil’s immediate chemistry with Welbeck. His positional intelligence at the top of midfield makes him a perfect match with Welbeck who prefers to play behind the defense.
Welbeck, who was deemed expendable by Manchester United, quickly opened his account for the Gunners with a well-taken half-volley from a pass by Ozil. In fact, Wenger has already lavished praise on the 23-year-old, tipping him to become the next Thierry Henry.
That’s high praise indeed and he will get the chance to prove just that when Ozil makes his derby debut against Tottenham this coming Saturday. Interestingly enough, it was Tottenham that was supposed to be Welbeck’s destination this past transfer window until Wenger decided to swoop in at the last minute to buy his services.
Arsenal are unbeaten in their first five games this season.
Writer’s Prediction
Arsenal (-155) edge past Tottenham in a high-scoring affair. Create a betting account now and cash in on the English Premier League games.
