Premier League: This North London Derby is a Doozy!

Arsenal vs Tottenham Hotspur

Domestic football is back on the agenda folks, and in England the curtain raises again with an absolute cracker; Premier League: Arsenal vs Spurs.

The North London derby always has plenty of spice and this one has more than usual, because the winner of the Saturday lunchtime clash will go top of the table.

Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal are currently sitting at the summit, as they have all season, but a surprise defeat to Manchester United a couple of weeks ago has dragged them back into the pack which includes, ominously, Manchester City and Antonio Conte’s Tottenham Hotspur who are just a point behind.

The latest title odds, here at SBOTOP, place Arsenal and Spurs in third and fourth position, at odds of 10.00 and 15.00, to win the league; and both would realistically accept a top four place right now though neither is ruling out the big prize. A draw would be enough to keep Arsenal at the top, but probably only for 24 hours as Pep Guardiola’s City host Manchester United in their derby on Sunday.

Arsenal come into the game on the back of a 3-0 victory away to Brentford while Spurs thrashed bottom club Leicester City at home.

Talking Points

Xhaka finds his peace at Arsenal

Relieved of the captaincy in the summer, midfield enforcer Granit Xhaka has been concentrating on his job of dominating the midfield for Arsenal, and he’s also made three assists in the opening seven games. The Swiss star has been at Arsenal since 2016 but he hasn’t always been the most popular figure at the club, falling out with the fans and, at times, he has been a liability on the pitch, picking up red cards all too easily at crucial moments.

In the past he has sometimes overstepped the line but now he is channelling his aggression and relishing life without the burden of being club captain, which ahs been ably taken on my Martin Odegaard. He is a class act on the ball and Arteta still has ultimate faith in Xhaka, giving him the captain’s armband in Odegaard’s absence against Brentford.

Arsenal happily avoided the Bees sting against Thomas Frank’s side as Gabriel Jesus scored his fourth goal of the campaign. He is fast becoming one of the signings of the summer and, alongside his Brazilian team-mate Gabriel Martinelli, Jesus is playing some electrifying football.

The recall of centre back William Saliba from his loan at Olympique Marseilles has been another smart move as the 21 year old now looks perfectly at home in the Premier League.

Kane and Son are back on Song

Spurs talisman Harry Kane has made a brilliant opening to the campaign with six goals from seven games, a quicker start than he usually makes and he is keen to win something for club or country this season. Kane has just led England to relegation in the UEFA Nations League, but he did score a penalty in the Three Lions 3-3 draw against Germany on Monday night and he will spearhead the England attack at the Qatar World Cup.

And Heung-Min Son will surely start alongside Kane against Arsenal after his brilliant cameo in the hammering of Leicester. The South Korean has had a quiet start to the season, failing to find the net in the opening six games, and he was dropped to the bench by Conte for the Leicester game. But when his chance came in the second half he responded in the best way possible, scoring a 13 minute hat-trick. Son curled home two brilliant shots before tapping in his third to pile the agony onto the Foxes.

Ivan Perisic and Dejan Kulusevski have made three assists each from the wings, while Rodrigo Bentancur and Pierre-Emille Hojbjerg are building up a good relationship in the centre of the park; and Bentancur will have a fascinating battle with Xhaka, who’s aim will be to stop the supply to Spurs’ front and wide men.

History

The Gunners are nicely in front in the head to head Arsenal vs Spurs results, winning 26 of the last 67 meetings, drawing 25 and losing 16.

Last season both teams won at home, Arsenal by a 3-1 margin, early in the 2021/22 campaign, and Spurs won 3-0 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in May to steal in and take the fourth place held by the Gunners for most of the season.

Arsenal have a 100 per cent home record in the league while Spurs are unbeaten on the road with one victory and two draws.

Betting Tip

The pre-match Arsenal vs Spurs betting odds have the Gunners favourites but marginally odds against at a price of 2.08, with Spurs at 3.21 and the draw at 3.50.

Both clubs have been within the 2-3 goal margin in five of their last six matches, though Spurs broke that sequence spectacularly last week in their destruction of Leicester City; but we won’t see eight goals in this game!

 

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