We have a mouthwatering clash to welcome back the Premier League on Saturday, as arch-rivals Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur go head-to-head at the Emirates Stadium.
The North London rivals are separated by a solitary point in the table, with first-place Arsenal leading third-place Tottenham. Meanwhile, Manchester City occupy second place.
Working for the weekend 👊📍London Colney pic.twitter.com/7dusfwXEPx— Arsenal (@Arsenal) September 27, 2022
Working for the weekend 👊📍London Colney pic.twitter.com/7dusfwXEPx
Can the Gunners claim the bragging rights on home soil? Or will Spurs spoil the party? It’s time to take a closer look at both sides.
Let’s start with the hosts, Arsenal, who find themselves atop the Premier League table after winning six of their opening seven matches.
The Gunners kicked off their campaign with five straight victories, seeing off Crystal Palace, Leicester, Bournemouth, Fulham and Aston Villa.
Mikel Arteta’s men suffered their first defeat of the season on Matchday 6, falling to Manchester United. They bounced back last time out, however, beating Brentford 3-0.
Not only have Arsenal avoided defeat in each of their last six home games across all competitions, but they have also avoided defeat in four of their previous 25.
As for Tottenham, they have yet to taste defeat in the Premier League this term – picking up five wins and two draws in the process. Man City are the only other unbeaten team in the division.
Spurs have won four of their previous five league outings, dispatching Wolves, Nottingham Forest, Fulham and Leicester along the way.
Before the international break, Antonio Conte’s side crushed the Foxes 6-2 – with Son Heung-min coming off the bench to net a memorable hat-trick.
Thanks to a strong end to the previous campaign, Tottenham are currently enjoying a 13-game unbeaten streak in the Premier League. Can they extend that run on Saturday?
Head-to-head: Arsenal have only managed to win two of their last seven Premier League meetings with Tottenham, while Spurs have won three of the previous five
54% of the past 13 North London showdowns have produced under 2.5 goals, meaning Saturday’s encounter could be a low-scoring affair.
Team news: Arsenal will be without the injured quartet of Oleksandr Zinchenko, Emile Smith Rowe, Mohamed Elneny and Reiss Nelson on Saturday.
Tottenham are currently without Lucas Moura, while Hugo Lloris and Ben Davies are injury doubts for this weekend’s clash.
Given that Arsenal and Tottenham have both made a strong start to the season, Saturday’s match looks set to be a tight encounter between two evenly matched teams.
For that reason, Forebet predicts that Arsenal and Spurs will play out a low-scoring draw at the Emirates – with both sides netting under 1.5 goals.