Arsenal v Tottenham Betting Preview

The Gunners can move to the summit of the Premier League table, temporarily at least, with a win over north London rivals Tottenham at The Emirates on Saturday lunchtime.

Recent derby meetings between Arsenal and Spurs have produced some classic encounters. The last time that they met at The Emirates Arsenal ran out easy 3-0 winners, the time before we were treated to a 4-4 thriller. Unlike the Manchester derby a couple of weeks back we can expect both these sides to approach the game with plenty of attacking intent.

Robin van Persie’s return from injury could be a timely one as Arsene Wenger’s side look to mount a serious challenge on Chelsea’s tenure at the top of the league. This game may come too early for him to be named in the starting XI but we can expect the Dutchman to make an appearance from the bench at some point.

Tottenham’s injury crisis is one of the worst in the league at present with no fewer than 10 potential first team players on the sidelines. Jermain Defoe finds himself in a similar situation to van Persie and could also make the substitutes bench for this one.

With both sides struggling for consistency this season and the added unpredictability of a local derby at hand punters may find it a little surprising to see the home side as short as 8/13 with many bookmakers. The away win is priced at 9/2 and the draw at 11/4.

The outcome of this fixture is likely to be largely dependent on who wins the battles in the midfield. Gareth Bale and Rafael van der Vaart have been Spurs’ most influential players this season whilst Cesc Fabregas, Alex Song and Andrei Arshavin have provided the impetus for Arsenal. Quick passing and retaining possession are Arsenal’s key attributes whilst Harry Redknapp will have his players breaking quick on the counter attack.

Arshavin and Fabregas are both available to back at around the 13/2 mark to break the deadlock this Saturday lunchtime whilst van der Vaart is 7/1 and Bale is 11/1. With Over 2.5 goals priced at a narrow 8/13 the bookmakers are expecting goals to come from somewhere and the midfield of both teams are certain to be popular betting selections.