North London Derby Betting Makes Arsenal Clear Favourites

Tonight`s late kick-off (27th September, 17:30) sees the second derby clash of the day as Arsenal play hosts to North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur. Arsene Wenger`s Arsenal will be hoping to convert their propensity for draws into wins though things aren`t going that badly for the side who remain only one of two still unbeaten in the Premier League. Mauricio Pochettino, however, will be expecting his men to record their first win in the league in over a month. James Morrison`s late header was all that was needed to seal West Bromwich Albion`s triumph at White Hart Lane last time out. This result is preceded by Spurs` 2-2 draw against lowly Sunderland and a 3-0 thrashing at the hands of Liverpool. Their mid-week Capital One Cup victory over Championship high-flyers Nottingham Forest will give Whites fans a much needed boost. Second-half goals from Ryan Mason, Roberto Soldado and Harry Kane enough to see them recover from Jorge Grant`s opener.

Wenger made wholesale changes to his team for their Capital One Cup tie against Southampton. Gunners supporters being able to take solace in this fact as the Reds fell to an uninspiring 2-1 home defeat. Alexis Sanchez`s breath-taking on-target free-kick did inspire confidence though, the forward grabbing his fourth goal of the season in all competitions. The ten changes made to the starting line-up meant that Mesut Ozil and Danny Welbeck were both rested after playing their parts in the team`s 3-0 away victory over sickness-ravaged Aston Villa in the league last weekend. They are 3/1 (Spreadex) and 13/8 (betfair, Spreadex) respectively to grab a goal in successive league games. Bearing in mind their unbeaten top-flight record and home advantage, the Emirates outfit are going into the match-up as clear 5/6 (Betvictor, william hill) favourites. The Gunners have won three of the last four North London derbys held at the Emirates, and have defeated Spurs four times in the last eight meetings between the sides in the Premier league. Wenger`s Arsenal did the double over Tottenham last season with two forgettable 1-0 wins. Both boylesports and Stan James are offering 3/1 on a draw, a result that last came to pass back in the 2010-11 season in a three all thriller, whilst Spurs are 4/1 with bet365, Coral and william hill.

The visitors will be heartened knowing that only one first-team player is currently sidelined with an injury. Kyle Walker has been a long-term absentee prior to undergoing lower abdominal surgery. The 24-year-old has been out since March with the recurring problem that also saw him miss of the 2014 World Cup. Whilst the right-back`s ideal recovery period is not known, manager Pochettino`s has asked for `calm` as he tries to overcome the affects of surgery.

`We believe he may recover soon, but we need to be calm with him because it is an injury that he has had for five months.` The former Southampton man told a press conference at the beginning of the month.

Arsenal have been less fortunate with injuries though a trio of stars are set to return after making full recoveries from slight niggles. Kieran Gibbs has overcome the hamstring problem he picked up in the side`s 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace in the opening fixure of the season somewhat easing their full-back availability issues. Per Mertesacker is too set feature after missing their Capital One Cup game whilst Mathieu Flamini has returned to training following concerns over his dead leg.

Arsenal will still, however, be without Mathieu Debuchy (ankle), Olivier Giroud (ankle) and Theo Walcott (knee). Walcott is set to be back in October after having already missed ten months, whilst both Giroud and Walcott won`t reach full fitness until the end of the year.

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27/09/2014     © Frixo 2024