Arsenal v Tottenham Tips, Premier League, 18th November 2017

Arsenal v Tottenham Preview

It was once the red half of north London that used to rule this derby but the arrival of Mauricio Pochettino has ended Arsenal’s long period of dominance. Since the Argentine moved from Southampton to Tottenham, he’s overseen two victories, four draws and one loss against Arsenal. He’s always been capable of getting his players fired up for this clash whether it’s home or away and things will be no different here. Not for the first time the Lilywhites come into the game as the slightly stronger looking outfit, higher up in the table and enjoying a wonderful Champions League campaign.

Home Advantage to Tell?

Arsene Wenger will be hoping that playing on home soil will be able to counter Tottenham’s slight superiority. His side have won all their domestic fixtures at the Emirates this season although they’ve only won by a comfortable margin once, a 3-0 against Bournemouth in September. Some of their failure to shine at home stems from Alexis Sanchez’s lack of form, the Chilean has just the one league goal to his name this season. He was given the role of the lone striker against Man City but that responsibility is likely to fall to summer signing Alexander Lacazette this time.

Whoever Wenger opts with though, there’s little to suggest that Tottenham will be fearing their trip to the home of their rivals. Although Spurs suffered defeat at Old Trafford during their last away test, they are undoubtedly one of the best travellers in the league. Prior to the Man United defeated, Pochettino had guided his men to five straight away victories in all competitions before claiming a very valuable draw against Real Madrid in the Champions League. Their performances home and away against Real Madrid plus the 4-1 thrashing of Liverpool also show how much they relish playing a side that likes to push men forward.

Relevant Stats, Injuries and Suspensions

Some derbies can turn into quite tense and cagey affairs with neither team willing to open up but this is rarely the case in north London. Since 2010 there have been 18 meetings between the two sides and 14 of them have seen both sides score. Goals look likely here too as the Gunners have scored in every domestic home match since last November and only Man City have more away goals in the league than Tottenham this season.

Responsible for many of Tottenham’s goals is Harry Kane who was forced to sit out international duty with a slight issue. Last season’s Golden Boot winner is set to return however alongside Dele Alli, Harry Winks and Jan Vertonghen. Mauricio Pochettino will also be hoping skipper Hugo Lloris can recover from his abductor problem in time but it’s looking rather touch and go. Centre Back Toby Alderweireld seems far less likely to feature with the Belgian needing more time to recover from a hamstring issue.

Arsene Wenger could also welcome back a few names for this huge test. Shkodran Mustafi and Rob Holding are set to be fully fit, providing Arsene Wenger with a full complement of defenders. Danny Welbeck is another who is set to be in contention although fellow forward Olivier Giroud might not be able to join him after straining his thigh on international duty.