North London Derby preview: Another derby draw between Tottenham and Arsenal?
London will stop at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday as Tottenham clash with their bitter rivals Arsenal. Saturday's match is slated to be the biggest North London Derby of all-time as the game will take place at Wembley Stadium.
The match will also take on a great amount of significance as the two sides are nearly neck and neck in the Premier League standings. A win could propel the victor towards Champions League qualification for next term.
Tottenham currently sit fifth in the Premier League, four points ahead of Arsenal and one point behind a faltering Chelsea. Spurs are coming off a midweek fixture in which the side dispatched Newport County from the FA Cup. Obviously, Arsenal will pose a much bigger challenge, and with the Gunners recent high-quality additions, a second straight derby win for the Gunners isn't out of the question.
Three of the last five Premier League North London Derbies have finished in draws. That included three straight draws between the teams from 2015 to 2016. However, the last two North London Derbies have been won by the home team in each fixture. Tottenham won this fixture in April 2017, while Arsenal won earlier this term at the Emirates. Both matches ended in 2-0 scorelines.
Tottenham are undefeated in their last six Premier League matches. Spurs have won three and drawn three in that time. Striker Harry Kane leads the league in goals with 22. He is on pace to win his third straight golden boot award.
Spurs have relied heavily on the former Arsenal youth player for goals as Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli haven't been the scoring threats they were a season ago. Kane has tallied 43% of Spurs' goals this season. It is the highest percentage of any striker playing for a top six team.
Arsenal come into this month's North London Derby with renewed vigour. The club sold Alexis Sanchez in January and signed striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as his replacement. The Gabon international scored on his debut last weekend as the Gunners throttled Everton 5-1.
Aubameyang was joined by attacking midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan at the Emirates. The two players join Arsenal duo Mesut Ozil and Alexandre Lacazette in an attacking fearsome foursome. Arsenal's four attackers rival the best at other top clubs in the Premier League. Based on what the side did against Everton, it is believable that Arsenal could still qualify for the Champions League next season. However, five points separate them from the top four.
Both teams have scored 51 Premier League goals this season. However, Arsenal's defence has not been as strong as Tottenham's back four. Tottenham have the fourth best home record in the Premier League, and Spurs have greatly improved when it comes to playing at Wembley. Tottenham should get at least a draw against the North London Derby rivals.
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