Arsenal vs Spurs: BigMatchPreview

When: Arsenal V/S Spurs, September 1st, Sunday at 9:00pm IST

Where: Emirates Stadium, London

Match Referee: Martin Atkinson

Quick Facts:

1. Tottenham have only won one of their last 26 trips to Arsenal, which came in November 2010 when they came back from two goals down to record a famous victory in enemy territory.
2. Harry Kane joined the Arsenal academy at the age of 8, before being released a year later.

Head to Head: Played-54, Arsenal -20, Spurs-12, Drawn-22

Last Five Encounters:

• SPURS 1 ARSENAL 1 , MARCH 2ND 2019
• ARSENAL 4 SPURS 2 , DECEMBER 2ND 2018
• SPURS 1 ARSENAL 0, FEBRUARY 10TH 2018
• ARSENAL 2 SPURS 0, NOVEMBER 18TH 2017
• SPURS 2 ARSENAL 0, APRIL 30TH 2017

Who fares well in this fixture?

Harry Kane has scored 9 goals in 9 games against Arsenal, which is more than any other player in this fixture.

Team Preview: Arsenal

Table Postion: 3

Recent Results: L W W (latest first)

Was it a false dawn? Was it a reality check? Or was it just the fact that Arsenal ran into an opposition at the top of its prowess on the day? Well, whatever may be the truth, Arsenal’s performance at Anfield last Saturday was soft and naive to say the least. They were bullied in midfield, and were defensively all over the place. And dare I say, even Ben Stokes could have played at centre half for the gunners. On top of all that, Unai Emery got his tactics completely wrong as he allowed the marauding Liverpool full-backs far too much freedom to go forward.

Having said that, Arsenal were able to take away a couple of positives from that defeat. Nicolas Pepe excelled on his first start and Joe Willock showed glimpses of the player he could be in the future. Furthermore, had the gunners not spurned gilt-edged chances in the first half, the game could have panned out very differently.

On Sunday, Arsenal take on their North London rivals, knowing the fact they are in a much better situation their counterparts are ahead of this game. The Gunners are a different proposition at home, add to that a tremendous record in the month of September in the premier league era(60 wins , more than any other team), they will go in to the encounter knowing that a win would put them 5 points clear of their arch rivals at this early stage of the season. Arsenal fans would surely take that with both hands!

Team News:

Emery said in his pre match press conference that Mesut Ozil is ready to feature in the squad for the first time this campaign. The rest of the squad is expected to be the same as last week. Alex Lacazette may well get a start this week alongside Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Nicolas Pepe.

Team Preview: Spurs

Table Position: 10

Recent Results: L D W

For decades they have been in the shadows of their local rivals. For decades they have been mocked, humiliated and embarrassed. For decades North London has been painted red. Not anymore. Under an ambitious owner, intelligent manager, talented players and passionate fanbase, Tottenham have quietly grown to become a giant in the premier league. Anyone with minimum football knowledge would admit Tottenham have the edge over their rivals in pure footballing terms currently. Anyone, except a gunner. That is why this is more than just a match, more than just 3 points. This one is purely about pride and the dominance over the northern part of the capital.

What can be said about spurs? Should I highlight the fact that they made it to the finals of the champions league in extraordinary fashion or the fact that they lost at home to a significantly weaker Newcastle United at home nonetheless. I can’t help but look at some statistics to analyse what spurs are and where they stand as a team. Tottenham are winless in their last seven away league games( losing 6 SIX times). In fact, they would be ranked 15 if premier league started in the January of 2019, a shocking stat for a top club. They have also won only ONCE in their twenty six visits to the Emirates. Stats do put Tottenham in a rather uncomfortable scenario.

On a positive note, spurs did win the last time they played at the emirates which was a league cup tie late last year. They will also enjoy the presence of South Korean ace, Heung Min Son who will cause Maitland niles a lot of problems with his blistering pace.

Spurs are a very flexible team in terms of their formation, often switching between a back 3 and a back four. They are likely to go with a back 3 on Sunday to provide Lloris an extra cover against Arsenal’s front 3. A lot will depend on Tottenham’s very own Harry Kane. He is likely to get few go’s at Arsenal’s vulnerable defense and if he can convert few of those chances, then spurs well and truly have a chance. Tottenham will miss their club record signing, Tanguy N’dombele, who is out of this fixture with an injury.

Tottenham are definitely not in an ideal situation going into this fixture, but lads! IT’S TOTTENHAM! They thrive on situations like this and it shoould be a hell of a fixture this Sunday.

Team News: Tanguy N’Dombele, Kyle Walker-Peters, Ryan Sessengnon, Eric Dier, Juan Foyth all OUT due to injuries. Christian Eriksen might not start amidst transfer speculation. Dele Alli will make it to the bench and come on if need be.

Did you know?

18 penalties have been awarded in this fixture since the inception of the Premier League, which is more than any other fixture. Out of the 18, 4 of them was awarded in the two fixtures last season.

40 points dropped in this fixture by Spurs is the most they have dropped against a particular opposition.

From the archives:

1. Robert Pires has scored more goals(7) in the North London derby than any other Arsenal player.
2. The first ever North London derby at the Emirates Stadium was played in December 2006, the gunners went on to win the game by 3-0, with Gilberto scoring a brace.
3. 4 players have played for both Arsenal and Spurs in the premier league era, Rohan Ricketts, David Bentley, William and Gallas and Emmanuel Adebayor. Incidentally, all of them first played for the Gunners and then went on to play for Tottenham.

AllAboutFPL Verdict

For the first time in a long time, Arsenal go into a North London derby in a better state than their rivals. Given the fact that Mauricio Pochettino’s men have an abysmal record away from home against other big six clubs(winning just 2 out of the last 16 games), the Gunners will look to pile up more misery on the Lillywhites. We expect an open game with lots of goals and entertainment.

Probable XIs

Arsenal (4-3-3)

Leno, Luiz, Sokratis, Maitland Niles, Kolasinac, Xhaka, Ceballos, Guendouzi, Aubameyang, Lacazette, Pepe

Spurs(3-4-3)

Lloris, Moussa Sissoko, Toby Alderweireld, Davinson Sanchez, Jan Vertonghen, Danny Rose , Giovanni Lo Celso, Harry Winks , Lucas Moura, Heung Min Son, Harry Kane.

Prediction: Arsenal 3 Spurs 2

Both sides have shown that their defenses can be vulnerable, at the same time the attacks can be deadly. We just fancy Arsenal to edge this at their own turf. It would take something special for Tottenham to make North London white this time around.