Focus Fixture: Who will come out on top in North London?

Tottenham host Arsenal in the first North London Derby of the Premier League season. Ange Postecoglou is still searching for his first win over the Gunners.

The Form

Spurs finished just outside the Champions League places last season and are hoping to go one better this time. Tottenham made a fast start to the previous campaign despite the loss of Harry Kane. They were at the top of the league and heading into November last season.

Ange hasn’t been able to mastermind a fast start this time around. Tottenham have four points after three games. Alexander Isak scored the decisive goal in their defeat at St. James’s Park prior to the international break. Spurs are looking to bounce back here and record a rare win over their local rivals. 

Arsenal came up short in the title race. The defeat at home to Aston Villa in April proved costly as they finished two points behind Manchester City. Mikel Arteta knows his side will have to be almost perfect to topple Pep Guardiola’s side but the Gunners are here to stay.

Arteta’s side won their first two games 2-0 and were heading towards another win when they faced Brighton in their last outing. However, a red card for Declan Rice allowed the Seagulls to fight back so Arsenal had to settle for a point. 

The Runners and the Riders

Richarlison has been ruled out for Tottenham. Dominic Solanke will likely lead the line for the home side with Heung-Min Son operating from the left. Solanke will face a late fitness test after picking up a knock but all signs point to him starting.

Arsenal have some notable absentees in midfield. Declan Rice is suspended following the red card he picked up against Brighton. Mikel Merino, who has just joined the club, is also injured. Martin Odegaard was injured while on international duty but there is a chance he will play here. 

What They Said

Ange Postecoglou made it clear how important this game was at the end of last season. Some factions of the Tottenham support felt the team should throw the game in order to sabotage their rivals in the title race but the manager was having none of it. Ange said, “real success looks like: trophies. Anything else in between, bragging rights, whatever it is, is absolutely meaningless to me or anyone involved with me. We’ve got a game we want to win.”

Mikel Arteta was outraged by the decision to send Rice off in Arsenal’s last game. The Gunners boss said, "I was amazed. Amazed, amazed, amazed because of how inconsistent decisions can be, in the first half, there are two incidents and nothing happens. Then, in a non-critical area, the ball hits Declan (on the back of his leg), he turns around, he doesn't see the player coming and he touches the ball. By law, he [the referee] can make that call, but then by law he needs to make the next call, which is a red card so we play 10 vs 10. This is what amazed me. At this level it's amazing."

Selection

It’s no secret that Ange Postecoglou likes his teams to press high up the pitch. Tottenham have a proactive approach without the ball, which relies on harassing their opponents and operating with a high defensive line. Therefore, it will come as no surprise that Spurs rank highly in terms of tackles since the Australian took charge. 

Tottenham made an average of 19.05 tackles per game last season, the fifth most in the Premier League.  This number rose to 20 tackles if we only include the matches they played in front of their own fans. The high tackles trend has continued into this season. Spurs have made an average of 22.67 tackles per game thus far with this bet landing in all three of their matches. 

Arsenal’s opponents this season have made an average of 19.67 tackles per game. Aston Villa made 22 tackles in the Gunners’ only away game so the Tottenham tackle line appeals here.

Arteta’s men also forced plenty of tackles in both North London Derbies last season. Tottenham made 28 and 24 tackles in those matches. 

Recommended Bet: Over 18.5 tackles for Tottenham at 1.73

Bet Builder Tip

There were plenty of goals when these rivals locked horns in the Premier League last season. Arsenal won this fixture 3-2 and the teams drew 2-2 at the Emirates. There has been an average of 3.6 goals in the last five head-to-heads between these sides so we are backing both teams to score and over 3.5 goals as part of our bet builder.

Tottenham’s home games in the Premier League under Ange Postecoglou have seen an average of 3.45 goals per game. They have scored an average of 2.1 goals per game and conceded 1.35 over that period. 

Arsenal have been the most defensively solid side in the league since the start of last season but that seems to go out of the window when they play Tottenham. Over that period, Arteta’s men are scoring an average of 2.34 goals per game so they should make a healthy contribution to the goal count here. 

Bukayo Saka is Arsenal through and through. He is more known for drawing fouls from his opponents but we are backing him to make at least two fouls himself in Sunday’s clash.

Saka was heavily involved in this fixture last season. He scored Arsenal’s second goal and was fouled four times. His willingness to get involved in duels also meant he made two fouls. 

Recommended Bet: Both teams to score, over 3.5 goals and over 1.5 fouls for Bukayo Saka at 4.40