After a two-week international break, the English Premier League will be back in full throttle this weekend. To kick things off, we have a mouth-watering North London derby to look forward to on Saturday.
Table-topping Arsenal will face their stiffest examination of the season to date when they entertain crosstown rivals Tottenham, who occupy third spot, at the Emirates.
There are bound to be plenty of talking points to untangle from this fixture, but here are a few key stats that you ought to bear in mind ahead of this grudge match:
- Since the inaugural season of 1992/93, this fixture has been the fourth-highest scoring in EPL history (171).
- Tottenham have dropped the most points (45) from leading positions against Arsenal, which is more than any other club against a single opponent.
- There have been six goals scored in the 90th minute or later in meetings between Arsenal and Tottenham.
- Arsenal boasts the second youngest average starting line-up in the EPL this term (24 years, 173 days), trailing only Southampton (24y, 137d).
As you might expect, there will be a frenzy of activity at the top US online betting sites over the coming days.
Therefore, to ratchet up excitement for this storied EPL clash, we have handpicked a few tips for you to sink your teeth into.
High-scoring tie on the cards?
Usually, games between Arsenal and Tottenham are frenetic and there is no love lost between the two sides. At times, it has seemed that Tottenham have had a mental block on the road against the Gunners, as they haven’t tasted victory at the Emirates since 2010.
Nevertheless, the contrasting styles will make for compelling viewing. Antonio Conte’s charges have been perhaps belittled for being no more than a mere counter-attacking team and Tottenham have soaked up a lot of pressure at times.
Spurs have held their line and kept much a deeper shape than some of the other traditional ‘Big Six’ sides. However, they averaged much less of the ball, whereas Arsenal tilt things heavily in their favor when it comes to possession and their willingness to hold it in attacking areas. Only Manchester City (83.7%) and Liverpool (75.3%) boast a higher field tilt than the Gunners, while Tottenham’s average is considerably lower (37.6%).
When the two sides met last season at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, a first-half red card for Rob Holding meant the visitors couldn’t withstand the ferocity of Tottenham’s attacks and they were swept aside 3-0.
Tottenham’s struggles at the Emirates have been well documented, and of course, Conte’s men will be eager to maintain their unbeaten start. The Italian tactician is looking to become only the third Tottenham manager after Jose Mourinho and Jimmy Anderson to win his first two competitive meetings against the Gunners.
On paper, there’s little separating the two sides, so we could well see a share of the honors.
If you like the look of the regular Moneyline, then FanDuel is offering odds of +260 for the game to end in a tie which could be worth pursuing.
Harry Kane to make his mark
If there is one undeniable thing, then it is Harry Kane has a penchant for scoring against Arsenal.
In total, Kane has netted 13 times in the EPL against the Gunners, and he is the highest-scoring player in the North London derby, surpassing Bobby Smith and Emmanuel Adebayor (10), with the latter the only play in the EPL to score for both clubs in this fixture.
Kane has also scored more penalties against the Gunners (six) than any other player in EPL history and you imagine he will probably have some say this weekend.
With Son Heung-Min also rediscovering his best form after coming off the bench to net a hat-trick in Tottenham’s 6-2 victory over Leicester, Kane will be hoping to add to his tally.
Currently, Kane is trading at a short-looking +150 with BetMGM to score anytime against the Gunners.
Expect a flurry of corners
Although it is still the early stages of the season, it feels like the stakes are already quite high, and the result of this match could have ramifications for both sides.
When the sides last contested a tie at the Emirates in the EPL three years ago, Tottenham raced into a 2-0 lead before they were pegged back by the hosts.
On that day, there were a total of 17 corners. And on average, there have been nine corners or more in the past few EPL meetings. If you like a special, then you can locate tempting-looking odds of +115 with BetMGM for there to be a total of Over 10.5 corners during the 90 minutes. This could be worth pursuing if either side is pushing for a winner or trying to rescue a point.
