Tottenham Hotspur v Arsenal
16.00, Sunday 2nd October 2011, White Hart Lane, London.
It seems that every time these two teams play these days it becomes more and more fascinating. The form and mood around both clubs is intriguing and should set up for another classic encounter, neither side put huge emphasis on attacking and it will be a real tactical showdown between two of the Premier League’s stalwart managers. Arsenal’s biggest concern will lie in the midfield battle and all fans will be concerned by the ability of Scott Parker, no stranger to London derbies, to snap and bite into tackles, disrupting The Gunners play and setting up players such as Luka Modric, Gareth Bale and Rafael van der Vaart who can really make a difference in the final third. One would hazard a guess that Harry Redknapp is privately licking his lips at the thought of his side going up against an Arsenal defence that has looked shaky at the best of times so far this season.
On a positive note for Arsenal though is that they know that they have an attacking force of their own that can mix with the best of them. Robin van Persie has had a scintillating 2011 and only needs half an inch of space to make a real difference. With Theo Walcott returning to the side as well Arsenal will know that if Spurs don’t keep it tight at the back then Mikel Arteta and Aaron Ramsey can exploit space in behind with which to utilise Walcott’s explosive pace. They will know how tight they need to be defensively though and may struggle to keep Tottenham at bay without Thomas Vermaelen, rendering the role of Emmanuel Frimpong in front of the defence even more important and he will need to show a lot of discipline in order to keep Modric and Co. quiet.
Emmanuel Adebayor lines up against Arsenal on Sunday
What adds further spice to this already fiery fixture is the reunion between Arsenal and Emmanuel Adebayor, who famously riled The Gunners’ away support by running the length of the pitch to celebrate a goal in front of them for Manchester City back in 2009. He showed signs of his best form in Spurs recent game against Liverpool and looks a decent price at 4/1 to get the first goal, given his ability in the air and with the ball at his feet. Considering his prolific scoring record away from home van Persie looks a handsome price at 9/1 to score a brace.
Given the attacking threat and defensive frailties of both these teams there will surely be goals in this game, as there have been on so many occasions in the past, and the tip for this game would be a speculative punt on there being six or more goals at 8/1. Although you would have to agree with the bookies and make Spurs favourites, these North London derbies have a habit of throwing up extraordinary games and it would be right to expect fireworks again when the two sides meet on Sunday.
Expected Teams: Tottenham: Friedel; Walker, King, Kaboul, Assou-Ekotto; Kranjcar, van der Vaart, Parker, Modric, Bale; Adebayor. Arsenal: Szczesny; Sagna, Mertesacker, Song, Santos; Arteta, Frimpong, Ramsey; Walcott, Arshavin, van Persie
SYS Tip for the game: 6+ goals in the game at 8/1
All odds provided by:
ALL ODDS PROVIDED BY: