Monday, November 9, 2015, 3am AEDT, Emirates Stadium, Watch on Fox Sports
Table position
Arsenal : Second
Tottenham: Fifth
Season record
Arsenal : 8-2-1
Tottenham: 5-1-5
Last five games
Arsenal : WWWWW
Tottenham: WDDWW
IT’S the Premier League rivalry to end all rivalries.
The North London Derby.
And adding to the mystique of this wonderful fixture is the fact that these are the two form sides of the Premier League.
Winners of five straight games in the top flight, the Arsenal’s ($1.67 with Sportsbet.com.au) performances have it nipping at the heels of ladder leader Manchester City, while Tottenham ($5 with sportsbet.com.au) (Draw is $4 with WilliamHill.com.au) has won its past two games handsomely, firing in eight goals.
Unbelievably, neither side has tasted defeat since the opening day of the season, the Gunners shocked, 2-1 by West Ham and Tottenham going down 1-0 at Manchester United.
Last time out, Arsenal wrecked Swansea, 3-0, away from home, a goal to debutante Joel Campbell the highlight.
A dour first half gave the Swans a sniff, but Arsenal set Liberty Stadium alight after the break, striking first through the familiar head of Olivier Giroud – the club’s 2000th goal in the Premier League – assisted by the mercurial Mesut Ozil.
Defender Laurent Koscielny then cleaned up a spill by Swans’ keeper Lukasz Fabianski – an ex Arsenal man – to make it 2-0, before Campbell put the result beyond doubt, finishing off more superb work from, you guessed it, Ozil.
“They took six points off us last year and that shows we’ve moved forward,” Wenger said.
“The second half we were a different team.
“After we scored the first goal it was all us and there was only one winner on the pitch.
“I feel they offered a lot in the first half, then technically we were on top and we upped our pace in the second half and from then on it was more difficult for them.
“That’s what you want (from Giroud).
“The less we talk and more we play the better we play – that’s our job and that’s what he does.
“Joel Campbell took his goal really well and he is still a young player who had to wait for his chance.
“He’s adapted to Europe, been in a few leagues and come back and I like his team spirit and workrate.
“To show he can be on the end of things as well gives him a chance.”
Bulletproof in the league, the Gunners have been far from it outside. Bundled out of the League Cup by Sheffield Wednesday, 3-0, and then copped a horrible 5-1 shellacking at the hands of Bayern Munich in the Champions League mid week that had Wenger wondering if it was the worst performance of his tenure.
“We were extremely poor defensively,” Wenger said.
“We were not at the races.
“When we went forward, we had chances but with a defensive performance like that, you go nowhere.
“I can’t tell you if it’s the worst of my tenure. It will not remain in my memory for anything positive. We have a chance to qualify. It’s a small chance but a real one. We have to realise that with that kind of performance, our chances are at a minimum. We have to give it our all to have a chance to qualify.
“You know you can’t be too negative but you also have to face reality.
“Our performance was not good enough.
“We live in a world where you have to face reality.”
The reality is the Gunners have been absolutely shredded by injury.
Arsenal could be without up to 10 of their best players for the grudge match with Tottenham.
Koscielny is the latest in a long list of injured men, after he was forced to pull out of the terrible performance against Bayern.
While manager Arsene Wenger says His hip complaint is compounded by injuries to a hose of key men in Hector Bellerin (groin), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (hamstring), Theo Walcott (calf), Mikel Arteta (ankle/foot), Aaron Ramsey (hamstring), David Ospina (shoulder), Jack Wilshere (ankle), Tomas Rosicky (knee) and Danny Welbeck (knee).
“I don’t think Bellerín will be available for Sunday,” Wenger said.
“Koscielny has a small chance.
“We have to focus on Sunday and turn up with a different performance (to that of the Bayern match).
“We are in a strong position in the league.”
The Gunners are keeping the London hospitals in business and it makes this match even more intriguing.
Arsenal will be forced to roll out a side that may be inferior to that of its opponent’s – something that doesn’t often happen in this fixture.
On the Spurs side of things, they are flying.
A 4-1 win over Manchester City last month has been backed up with a pair of big results, 5-1 at Bournemouth and then 3-1 at Aston Villa.
After a slow start, Harry Kane is starting to show the form that had him one of the favourites to take the golden boot out in 2015-16.
You’d be kicking yourself if you lost patience with Kane and transferred him out of your Premier League fantasy team a day before he slotted a hat trick against Bournemouth.
And he backed that up with a late goal against Villa to give him four in two matches.
Mousa Dembele got the ball rolling for Spurs on the weekend, firing one into the back of the net in just the third minute and then Dele Alli sent one home just before half time.
Jordan Ayew pegged on back for Villa, but Kane put the icing on the cake in the 93rd minute.
It took Spurs’ unbeaten streak to 10 matches, something manager Mauricio Pochettino was not keen to focus on.
“It (the unbeaten league run) is not important,” Pochettino said.
“The next game is important and we need to keep our focus and win the next game.
“Our start is good but that’s nothing.
“I am very pleased with the players, the effort was brilliant, now we need to be ready and prepare for the next game.”
For that next game, Spurs could be missing up to six playersafter Nacer Chadli (ankle/foot), Alex Pritchard (ankle/foot), Nabil Bentaleb (ankle), Tom Carroll (knock), Clinton N’Jie (hamstring) and Danny Rose (dead leg) all missed the side’s Europa League clash with Anderlecht.
It was joy in that fixture for Spurs, both Dembele and Kane striking in their third consecutive games as the Londoners held off Anderlecht, 2-1.
Dembele’s strike was particularly fierce, fired in from 25 yards after Anderlecht had equalised.
It bodes well for Tottenham’s clash with their arch rivals.
Match predictions
Match result: Draw ($4 with WilliamHill.com.au)
Correct score: Draw, 2-2 ($15 with WilliamHill.com.au)
Total match goals: Over 2.5 goals ($1.56 with Sportsbet.com.au)
Look, we’d be picking Tottenham here if it was at White Hart Lane. They have the talent and the form to knock off an under strength Arsenal. But this is at Emirates Stadium, where the Gunners have won 13 and lost just two of their last 18 matches. They have only allowed nine goals during that run, while Spurs have taken the points in this fixture just once in their last 22 tries. It’s ugly reading for Tottenham fans. The Gunners have the wood over them and, even though they are not at full strength, the likes of Ozil, Sanchez and Cazorla should have enough skill and grunt in the midfield to at least finish at a stalemate. Both sides have been firing in goals like it is very easy, so we’re expecting a high scoring draw, with Spurs losing just two of their past 10 matches on the raod.
First goal scorer predictions
Arsenal
Olivier Giroud ($5 with WilliamHill.com.au)
It’s hard to go past the man who will forever own Arsenal’s 2000th goal in the league. Giroud has fired in five goals in his last seven league matches and he loves playing against Spurs. The beautiful Frenchman has been a tower of power for Arsenal and, despite enduring some criticism from fans, this is a guy whose record stacks up against the very best strikers to play for the Gunners. Expect him to get his opportunities, both in the air and on the ground and, if you back him, hope he makes the most of them early.
Mesut Ozil ($7.50 with WilliamHill.com.au)
So often the provider, we’re backing Mesut Ozil in to be the finisher in this one. The brilliant German has more goal assists than any one in any of Europe’s top five leagues this season, with nine in 10 games. He’s also assisted our other pick, Giroud, on six of those, including his last three in a row, so if you’ve had a dabble on Mesut, you better hope Olivier doesn’t bob up in the box early. Ozil made a commitment at the start of the season to be a little more selfish and find the goals more. That hasn’t happened, but we’re hoping he can remember those words and do our dollars proud.
Tottenham
Harry Kane ($7.50 with sportsbet.com.au)
We’ve been off the Kane wagon for a few weeks now and, unfortunately, it’s been to our detriment. He had a serious case of goal poisoning last season and it looks as though he’s contracted it again. Has five goals in his last three matches in all competitions and you’d be a brave man to suggest he won’t get a sixth in four. The Gunners could be hurt by Koscielny’s injury and Kane will be there to take full advantage.
Mousa Dembele ($29 with sportsbet.com.au)
Talk about goal poisoning. Not scoring has become a struggle for Dembele as he, like Kane has also whacked one in in each of his last three. The Belgian is a prodigious talent, powerful and skilled, with a raking boot capable of beating the best goal keepers in the world. If he gets an opportunity, the way he is going it is just about guaranteed to end up in the back of the net. Back him in at the huge odds.
