Tottenham Hotspur vs Arsenal
English Premier League, KO: 14:00 Apr 28, 2024, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
ARSENAL face another test of their Premier League title mettle when they make the short trip across town to take on Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday afternoon.
After suffering a deflating 2-0 defeat at home to Aston Villa a fortnight ago, Mikel Arteta’s men then crashed out of the Champions League in a 1-0 loss at Bayern Munich.
However, the Gunners have bounced back admirably from that pair of bruising setbacks, having won 2-0 at Wolves before romping to a 5-0 win over London rivals Chelsea on Tuesday night.
That means Arsenal could end the weekend top of the pile with three games to go, though another tough test awaits at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Spurs’ hopes of a top-four spot were dealt a blow in their last outing, as they were swept aside 4-0 by Newcastle at St James’ Park.
As such, Ange Postecoglou’s fifth-placed side head into the latest round of action six points behind Aston Villa, albeit with two games in hand.
How the bookies view it: Capital punishment for Postecoglou
Despite winning eight of their last nine Premier League home games, Tottenham are 3/1 (PaddyPower) outsiders while the draw can be backed at a best price of 16/5 (William Hill).
Following their five-star display in midweek, Arsenal are odds-on 4/5 (William Hill) favourites to triumph at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Recent head to head: Arsenal North London’s top dogs
Arsenal have held the upper hand in this fixture in recent years, having claimed top honours from four of the last six North London derbies.
However, Ange Postecoglou did steer his side to a point at the Emirates earlier this season, and the Spurs boss will be hoping to go one better this time around.
Players to watch: Havertz hot streak to continue?
Kai Havertz has hit a rich vein of form recently, scoring eight times across his last 10 Premier League appearances. After notching twice against Chelsea on Tuesday night, the German forward is a tempting 2/1 (UniBet) to repeat the trick against Tottenham.
Fellow midweek goal hero Ben White should be assigned more defensive work during the dust-up, with the Gunners right-back looking overpriced to commit a solitary foul at 8/11 on Bet 365.
Heung-Min Son bagged a brace in this season’s reverse fixture and the Spurs skipper has been priced up at 21/10 on PaddyPower to strike on Sunday.
Predicted line-ups
Destiny Udogie has been ruled out for the rest of the season, however Spurs could welcome Ricahrlison back into the fray.
Arsenal have no new injury concerns so Mikel Arteta could be tempted to stick with the same team that ruthlessly took apart Chelsea in midweek.
Tottenham: Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Royal; Sarr, Bissouma; Johnson, Maddison, Werner; Son
Arsenal: Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Tomiyasu; Odegaard, Partey, Rice; Saka, Havertz, Trossard
Anything else catch the eye? Royal ready to rumble
Tottenham’s Emerson Royal could be deployed at left-back in Destiny Udogie’s absence on Sunday and the Brazilian looks worth backing to commit two or more fouls at 6/4 (PaddyPower).
The versatile Spurs defender has found game time hard to come by this season so he could be a little rusty going into this showdown, which doesn't bode well given that he will likely be operating in the same vicinity as Arsenal foul-magnet Bukayo Saka.
The Gunners talisman regularly finds himself on the wrong end of some rough treatment from opposing defenders, as evidenced by the fact that he has drawn 2+ fouls from the opposition in each of his last five top-flight outings.
With sparks certain to fly in North London, the combination of both Cristian Romero and Yves Bissouma to each commit a foul also stands out at 20/23 (Bet 365).
The hot-headed duo have amassed a combined total of 17 yellows and two red cards between them in the Premier League this season so far, making the above-mentioned Bet Builder a bit of a no-brainer.
This English Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal will be played on Apr 28, 2024 and kick off at 14:00. Check below for our tipsters best Tottenham Hotspur vs Arsenal prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
