Arsenal vs Tottenham Hotspur: North London Rivals Lock Horns Again

• Arsenal are the Premier League leaders as they prepare to face their arch-rivals
• Tottenham Hotspur have also made a bright start to the Premier League season
• This fixture tends to be entertaining and Saturday’s edition should be no different

Arsenal vs Tottenham Hotspur Odds

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Both teams will be pushing for the win and we expect the attacks to come out on top.

Back over 3.5 goals

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Arsenal vs Tottenham Hotspur Predictions

Arsenal’s Strong Start Has Raised Belief at the Emirates Stadium

There were times early in Mikel Arteta’s tenure as Arsenal manager that the Spaniard seemed destined to be sacked. A few months after replacing Unai Emery in the Emirates Stadium dugout, Arteta led the Gunners to FA Cup glory. Yet his first full season at the helm in 2020/21 was hugely disappointing. Arsenal finished eighth in the Premier League, missing out not just on the Champions League and the Europa League but even the newly introduced Europa Conference League.

Around Christmas 2020, it was hard to see how Arteta could survive. His team had just been on a nightmarish run, losing seven and drawing two of their previous 10 matches. They sat 15th in the standings, just four points above the bottom three. Prominent pundits, including the all-time Premier League top scorer Alan Shearer, suggested that relegation was a genuine possibility for a side that looked bereft of confidence and ideas.

Fast forward less than two years and the mood at the Emirates could hardly be more different. Optimism abounds in the red-and-white half of north London. Arsenal have made a fantastic start to the season, winning six of their first seven encounters. Even in their solitary defeat, a 3-1 reverse against Manchester United, Arsenal played pretty well for long periods. There have even been some suggestions that a title challenge, rather than merely a top-four finish, should be the objective.

The jury is still out in that regard. Arsenal have had a gentle start in terms of fixtures, and they are unlikely to have the requisite depth and experience to stick with Manchester City over 38 games. One thing is for sure, though: no one in the Arsenal fan base is questioning Arteta anymore.

Results Have Been Better Than Performances for Tottenham

Tottenham Hotspur are just a point behind their upcoming opponents after seven rounds of matches, but there is a feeling they have gone under the radar in comparison to their neighbors from across north London. That is probably because of performances rather than results: whereas the latter have reflected the former for Arsenal, Spurs have perhaps not played as well as their points tally would suggest.

Antonio Conte’s side turned on the style in the second half on the opening weekend, coming from behind to beat Southampton 4-1. And a similar flourish after half-time helped them to a 6-2 victory over Leicester City before the Premier League paused to make way for the Nations League and other international fixtures. But even in those two matches, Spurs were not exactly dominant from minute one to 90. That was also the case in the 2-2 draw with Chelsea and the 1-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers.

There are two ways to look at this. Optimists would argue that the sign of a good team is the ability to pick up points even when you are not playing at your highest level. Those with a more pessimistic outlook might suggest that Tottenham could come unstuck unless they improve their performance levels.

Spurs are certainly in a good place, though, and the relative struggles of Liverpool and Chelsea mean Conte’s charges could emerge as Manchester City’s closest challengers. Although Arsenal will have something to say about that, of course.

Goals on the Cards as Arch-Rivals Lock Horns in North London

The last meeting between these two teams was in effect a play-off for Champions League qualification. Arsenal had the advantage heading into the match at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but they were well beaten by Conte’s men, who ran out 3-0 winners – thanks in large part to Rob Holding’s red card in the first half. Some predicted that the psychological effect of that defeat would have adverse repercussions for Arsenal this term.

Yet the Gunners have done a fantastic job of moving on from last season’s near-miss. Their excellent summer transfer activity helped in that regard, as did Arteta’s refusal to deviate from his methods. He now has total buy-in from all levels of the club, which has helped Arsenal develop a clear on-field identity.

We can expect Arsenal to have plenty of possession on Saturday, with Spurs likely to adopt a counter-attacking approach. But with Harry Kane, Son Heung-min and Dejan Kulusevski up front, Tottenham arguably have even more firepower in their ranks than Arsenal. Indeed, only Manchester City have scored more goals than Spurs up to now.

It is hard to look past a high-scoring encounter at the Emirates Stadium. The north London derby almost always delivers in terms of entertainment, and with both teams eyeing a win we should see attacks come out on top. Back over 3.5 goals in the early kick-off on Saturday.

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