The early evening kick off in the Premier League this Saturday sees Tottenham take the short trip to the Emirates where they will face their bitter rivals Arsenal. Neither side has quite lived up to their own hopes this term, with Spurs falling away somewhat after winning their first two league matches under Mauricio Pochettino and Arsenal drawing three of their five league matches.
The Gunners, however, remain unbeaten in the league (though they have already lost in both the Champions League and the League Cup to Borussia Dortmund and Southampton respectively). Arsene Wenger has had to deal with a number of injuries to key defensive personnel, and though his squad boasts a wealth of talent from an attacking perspective, they look very thin on the ground at the back. They did manage their first league clean sheet of the season last time out as they hammered Aston Villa 3-0 in the West Midlands, and Wenger will be hoping for something similar here.
Spurs, meanwhile, fell to a highly disappointing 1-0 home defeat to West Brom last time out in the league, their second home league defeat of the season after Liverpool won at White Hart Lane 3-0 at the end of August. Pochettino is a determined and talented manager, however, and a win at Arsenal could be just the thing to give his players the boost in confidence they need to start putting a good run of results together.
Arsenal got the better of things between the sides last term – winning 1-0 home and away – and have won five of the last six between them in all competitions. Indeed the home side are priced as the 5/6 favourites (Ladbrokes) to get the three points on Saturday. Spurs can be backed at 19/5 for their first win at Arsenal since 2010, while the draw is priced at 14/5 (both with BetVictor). For us though there is only going to be one winner here: Arsenal.
Betting Tips
- Arsenal to win and both teams to score – While we think Arsenal will have the beating of their north London rivals, we can’t see them keeping a clean sheet this time around. As much to do with the top-heavy formation Arsenal currently employ as their defensive injuries, we feel Spurs will have enough to get on the scoresheet, albeit still suffering defeat. Back this outcome at best odds of 13/5 with Ladbrokes.
- Alexis Sanchez to score at anytime – Sanchez has looked bright and determined in every game he’s played for Arsenal this term and after netting his fourth goal of the season against the Saints in the League Cup on Tuesday we think he’s a good price to get another here at 7/4 with Betfred.
- Over 2.5 goals – At odds of 4/5 with BetVictor, backing over 2.5 looks a great bet given that prior to last season’s two 1-0’s the sides played out eight league games in a row that produced three or more goals. With Arsenal’s attacking prowess and defensive frailty, this bet looks a real banker.