Tottenham vs Arsenal: Preview, Prediction & Betting Tips

It is the North London derby in the Premier League this weekend, as Arsenal and Tottenham face off in what will be a game of huge significance at the top end of the table.

Date: 28/04/24

Kick-off time: 14:00

Venue: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Arsenal had endured a bit of a slump recently, suffering a setback in the title race and getting knocked out of Europe at the quarter-final stage. They got back to winning ways during their latest trip to Wolves, in which they won 2-0. They currently sit top, overtaking leaders Man City, though the champions will have a game in hand following their FA Cup participation last weekend. Victory should be imperative for the Gunners, as the league title is no longer in their hands. They will need a favour or two from City’s opponents down the stretch.

Tottenham are embroiled in an intense battle with Aston Villa for the final Champions League place. They are six points behind Villa, who occupy fourth, with a game in hand, but have lost momentum after a terrible 4-0 loss at Newcastle last time out. They could also be nine points behind by the next time they play. Their spot in the top five should be secure, barring an untimely collapse, so they will be looking ahead rather than behind. A defeat would strengthen Villa’s position significantly, but a win should keep them well in the mix.

Ange Postecoglou’s defence has failed to keep a clean sheet in their last five games, and this is a run that is likely to continue against an Arsenal side who have been shut out just twice in the last 13 league games, though those both occurred in the last month. Bukayo Saka will be the main goal threat, with his 14 goals on the season a club best. Kai Havertz should also provide a spark, whilst Leandro Trossard and Martin Odegaard are even more dangerous. Spurs will hope to have the services of Richarlison, who has scored 10 goals, to partner with Heung-Min Son, who leads the way with 15 strikes.

Since 2020, these two rivals have met eight times, all in the Premier League. There has not been much to split the pair, though Arsenal have edged it with four wins to Spurs’ three, and one draw. Goals have been common in this fixture, with over 2.5 goals scored in six of these meetings. The reverse fixture earlier this season ended in a 2-2 draw at the Emirates. The hosts went in front from a Cristian Romero own goal, but Son equalised on the stroke of half-time. Saka restored the lead from the spot, though Son grabbed his second almost immediately after.

Tottenham

The hope is that Richarlison could return from a lengthy absence from a knee injury. However, Pedro Porro is a doubt.

Arsenal

Mikel Arteta should have a fully fit squad to choose from, bar Jurrien Timber, who has been sidelined for the majority of the campaign. The club are hopeful he can return soon, however.

Tottenham

In their last five games, Tottenham have won two, lost two and drawn one. It has been an inconsistent stretch for Spurs as they fight for the top four. It started with a 3-0 away defeat at fellow Londoners Fulham. This took place prior to the international break in which they were crushed by their opponents. Spurs had edged possession, but gave up more goal attempts. It was goalless for the majority of the first half, but the deadlock was broken by Rodrigo Muniz just before the break. The visitors then made the worst possible start to the second half as they went 2-0 down to a Sasa Lukic goal. Muniz then grabbed his second later on to complete the rout. They then had to come from behind to beat Luton 2-1 at home. Tahith Chong opened the scoring in the third minute, but an Issa Kabore own goal and Son strike turned it around.

Their only draw in this run was against West Ham, as the game ended 1-1. Brennan Johnson broke the deadlock in just the fifth minute, but Kurt Zouma cancelled out the opener less than 15 minutes later and this is how it finished. They then had a home fixture against Nottingham Forest, which they won 3-1. An own goal put them in front, though this was cancelled out by Chris Wood. Micky van de Ven and Pedro Porro secured the three points in the second half.

This preceded their most recent game, which was a crushing 4-0 defeat at Newcastle. Spurs were extremely dominant in possession, enjoying 73% of the ball overall, but Alexander Isak broke the deadlock after half an hour, before Anthony Gordon doubled the lead almost instantly. A third was scored by Isak shortly after the restart, and Fabian Schar added a fourth late on to complete the rout.

Arsenal

In their last six games, Arsenal have won three, drawn one and lost two. The Gunners have stumbled of late as they got knocked out of Europa and lost ground in the title race. This stretch began with a convincing win as they comfortably beat Brighton 3-0 away from home. Bukayo Saka scored from the spot, before Kai Havertz and Leandro Trossard added a pair.

Focus then shifted to European action as they took on Bayern Munich in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals. Whilst they did not lose, they headed to the Allianz with a slight disadvantage. They went 1-0 up thanks to an excellent finish by Saka, though this was cancelled out by ex-Gunner Serge Gnabry, who took advantage of an error at the back. Harry Kane added another goal against Arsenal to his catalogue, as he converted a penalty. Trossard scored a second-half equaliser to salvage a draw. This meant that they entered the second leg at the Allianz at a slight disadvantage, and it was one that they could not overcome as they lost 1-0 on the night to exit the competition 3-2 on aggregate. Joshua Kimmich was the winning goalscorer with half an hour to go as he executed a powerful header past goalkeeper David Raya.

Between these two legs was a 2-0 home loss to Aston Villa in the Premier League. It was Arsenal’s first league defeat of the calendar year, and it was a costly one. Goals from Leon Bailey and Ollie Watkins in the final six minutes mean that the title is no longer in the hands of Mikel Arteta’s side. It was a story of two halves, with Arsenal enjoying the first half, but Villa growing in confidence in the second. They got back to winning ways as they took on Wolves at Molineux. They won 2-0 thanks to goals from Before they take on Spurs at the weekend they hosted Chelsea and thrashed their bitter rivals 5-0 as Leandro Trossard, Kai Havertz (2) and Ben White (2) all got on the scoresheet.

Form tends to go out of the window in North London derbies, but both teams have been inconsistent of late. Arsenal have exited Europe and stumbled in the title race, whilst Spurs have fallen out of the top four. This will be an intense battle, and we expect there to be little to split the teams - Tottenham 1-1 Arsenal

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Tottenham vs Arsenal will be available to watch on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League.

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