Tottenham-Arsenal is a match valid for the 20th day of the Premier League and is played on Sunday at 17:30: statistics, TV, formations, predictions.
The appeal of the North London Derby between Tottenham and Arsenal is not in dispute. The rivalry and mutual hatred that characterise this challenge make it one of the most anticipated in the Premier League. But this one, which takes place at the home of Spurs at the dawn of the second half of the season, has some really big points at stake. And it could even turn the league on its head.
And the reason is easily said. Yesterday, Manchester City fell to a surprise defeat against Manchester United, wasting the opportunity to reduce the gap between them and Arsenal. At this point Mikel Arteta’s team, first on 44 points, has a great opportunity to go even further, to +8 on the second-placed Citizens if they impose themselves again on Spurs, already beaten 3-1 in the first leg at the Emirates Stadium. We imagine Xhaka and his team-mates will have been cheering wildly for the Red Devils, whose 2-1 success over their cousins has opened up a veritable ‘highway’ to the title. Now it is the Gunners’ turn to take it. On the contrary, United’s victory is not good news for Antonio Conte’s men, who saw one of the most serious contenders in the fight for fourth place take the lead. Spurs are fifth on 33 points after eighteen days in the league, eleven points behind Arsenal, and have two to make up on the surprising Newcastle, a few hours earlier engaged with Fulham.
Arsenal have a great chance
Conte is trying to pull himself out of a difficult moment. His outburst a few weeks ago, in which he made it clear that his team is not ready to fight for big goals, seems to have had some effect.
Kane
After the home defeat to Aston Villa, Spurs beat Crystal Palace 4-0 in the Premier League and 1-0 Portsmouth in the FA Cup. The Gunners’ winning streak, on the other hand, has continued apace, with prolific victories against West Ham and Brighton, a blank-net draw against Newcastle and an upset over lowly Oxford United in the FA Cup. Arsenal have won 14 of the 17 matches they have played, losing only to Manchester United in a direct clash on 4 September. Arteta’s side have a good record, but it is also true that Tottenham have won the last three matches played at the Spurs Stadium, including the decisive one in May 2022, which gave the club, coached by the Salento coach, Champions League qualification.
The Prediction
Difficult to predict derbies, unpredictable by nature. Of the two, the one who has done better so far is definitely Arsenal, who have a great chance to move up to +8 from City and head towards a historic and unhoped-for title, but conquering Tottenham’s stadium will not be a walk in the park. At the same time, there is a good chance that the Gunners – Spurs could suffer a lot from their intensity of play – will win at least a point in a match with at least three goals in total, in which both teams should score. Kane, often unleashed whenever he has seen red and white, could end up on the scoresheet.
The likely Tottenham-Arsenal line-ups
- TOTTENHAM (3-4-3): Lloris; Romero, Dier, Lenglet; Doherty, Bissouma, Hojbjerg, Perisic; Kulusevski, Kane, Son.
- ARSENAL (4-2-3-1): Ramsdale; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Xhaka, Partey; Saka, Odegaard, Martinelli; Nketiah.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 1-2
