Arsenal vs Tottenham Hotspur betting preview
Game :Arsenal ( 3rd- 19 points) vs Tottenham Hotspur ( 4th-19 points)
Competition : English Premier League
Venue : Emirates Stadium, London
Kickoff time : 12.45 UK time.
Arsenal will look to keep their strong home record going when they meet bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur in a North London derby on Saturday afternoon. Last season’s corresponding fixture between the two sides ended in an entertaining 4-4 draw, and if that was anything to go by, this game is sure to a pleasure to watch for the fans and the neutrals.
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Arsenal drew 2-2 against West Ham last week, and were 2-1 winners against Liverpool in the midweek Carling Cup game. Lukas Fabianski injured himself in the Liverpool game, and therefore Wenger will have to choose between Manuel Almunia and Vito Mannone for the goalkeepers’ spot. Theo Walcott, Denilson, Johan Djorou and Tomas Rosicky are all injured.
Arsenal form ( Last Five fixtures)- most recent games last.
Arsenal 6-2 Blackburn ( Thomas Vermaelen, Andrei Arshavin, Cesc Fabregas, Robin Van Persie, Theo Walcott, Nicklas Bendtner)
Arsenal 3-1 Birmingham ( Robin Van Persie, Abou Diaby, Andrei Arshavin)
AZ Alkmaar 1-1 Arsenal ( Cesc Fabregas)
West Ham 2-2 Arsenal ( William Gallas, Robin Van Persie)
Arsenal 2-1 Liverpool ( Fran Merida, Nicklas Bendtner)
Robin Van Persie is in awesome form for the Gunners, and is a good pick to score. If you want to bet on a defender scoring, you need not look any further beyond Vermaelen and Gallas.
Spurs beat Everton 2-0 in the midweek Carling Cup game. They have the same number of points as Arsenal, but trail the Gunners on goal difference, and have also played an extra game. Spurs lost last weekend to Stoke City at home.
Tottenham Hotspur form- last five games- most recent last
Tottenham 5-0 Burnley ( Robbie Keane*4, Jermaine Jenas)
Bolton 2-2 Tottenham ( Niko Kranjcar, Vedran Corluka)
Portsmouth 1-2 Tottenham ( Ledley King, Jermain Defoe)
Tottenham 0-1 Stoke
Tottenham 2-0 Everton ( Robbie Keane, Tom Huddlestone)
Jermain Defoe is suspended, which means Crouch and Keane are likely to start upfront. Another man you could consider for a goal is ex Arsenal midfielder David Bentley, who came up with an absolute stunner in the corresponding fixture between the two sides last season. With Aaron Lennon likely to miss out through injury, Bentley could get a rare start.
Verdict:- Tottenham have not won at Arsenal since 1993, and I don’t see them reversing that statistic on Saturday.
Arsenal 3-1 Spurs ( Van Persie, Arshavin, Fabregas/ Crouch)
