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London's fiercest rivals go head-to-head on Sunday, as North-London powerhouses Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur lock horns for the second time this season to battle it out for supremacy in the English capital. The last time they met this season saw an unlikely hero in Mathieu Flamini, as his two goals sent Spurs crashing out of the League Cup in front of their own fans. Will Mauricio Pochettino's men have the last laugh this time around?
Kickoff and Live Telecast
Channel: Star Sports 1, Star Sports HD1
Live Stream: www.starsports.com
Date and Time: Sunday, 8 November 2015 – 21:30 IST
Venue: Emirates Stadium, London
Team News
Arsenal defender Laurent Koscielny faces a battle to recover from his hip injury in time for this game while Hector Bellerin has been ruled out. Holding midfielder Mikel Arteta will undergo a late fitness test to determine his availability for this high-profile clash. Theo Walcott, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Aaron Ramsey, Jack Wilshere, Danny Welbeck and Tomas Rosicky remain out of Arsene Wenger's squad due to various injuries.
Tottenham Hotspur left-back Danny Rose should be fit after suffering a knock in Monday night's victory over Aston Villa, but Clinton N'Jie is unlikely to feature as he recovers from a hamstring injury. South Korean attacking midfielder Son-Heung Min is expected to make an appearance after coming on as a substitute in Spurs' 2-1 victory over Anderlecht in the Europa League.
Predicted Starting Lineups
Key-Stats
- This is the 45th meeting between these North-London rivals in the Premier League era. Arsenal have won this fixture 18 times, whereas Spurs have been victorious on just 8 occasions.
- This is the second meeting between them this season. Arsenal edged out victorious in September at White Hart Lane in the third round of the Capital One thanks to a Mathieu Flamini brace.
- The Gunners have won their last 5 league fixtures , including 7 out of their last 8.
- They have conceded just 8 goals this season, the joint-best in the league.
- Petr Cech needs one more clean sheet to equal David James' record of 169 in the Premier League.
- Tottenham are unbeaten in the Premier League since the opening day of the season, a 1-0 defeat to Man United.
- They have lost just 2 of their last 10 away games. (W4, D4)
- Harry Kane has scored 21 goals in the Premier League in 2015, 3 more than any other player.
Team Form
Arsenal: A Capital One Cup exit at the hands of second-tier Sheffield Wednesday and a 5-1 thrashing at the hands of Bayern Munich hardly reflect Arsenal's scintillating form in the Premier League. 5 straight victories, including 7 in their last 8 makes the Gunners early contenders for the league title.
However, with recent injury setbacks hampering Wenger's selection options, one wonders whether Arsenal's regular bench-warmers can step up to the plate and keep the pressure on current leaders Manchester City. With North London bragging rights also at stake, the incentive for Arsenal to make it 6 wins out of 6 becomes even larger.
Last 5 games: L-W-L-W-W (Last match: Bayern Munich 5-1 Arsenal)
Tottenham: Unlike Arsenal, Tottenham come into this game after a morale-boosting 2-1 victory over Anderlecht in the Europa League; Mousa Dembele scoring an absolute ripper to hand his side all three points. Striker Harry Kane's seems to have weathered his early season troubles in front of goal, scoring 5 in his last 3 games. With Laurent Koscielny likely to be ruled out of this game due to a hip injury suffered during training in midweek, Kane will be looking to exploit the weak-link in Gabriel Paulista to add to his goal tally this season.
19 year old Dele Alli's rapid rise has been one of the biggest positives for Spurs this season. His intensity in the middle of the pitch seems to bind the whole team together. His smart passing and purposeful runs up front to get involved in attacks makes him one of the Premier League's finds of the season. Will he cause holding-midfielder Francis Coquelin enough problems at the Emirates on Sunday?
Last 5 games: W-W-W-L-D (Last match: Tottenham 2-1 Anderlecht)
Key Battles
Per Mertesacker vs Mousa Dembele
Mousa Dembele's wonderful run to hold off Aston Villa's Ciaran Clark for Tottenham's opener on Monday night sends out warning signals to Arsenal's centre-back Per Mertesacker, who is not the fastest defender in the world. The German will have to be on his toes to prevent the 28-year-old Belgian attacking-midfielder from having a shy at Petr Cech's goal throughout the game.
Joel Campbell vs Danny Rose
With Danny Rose likely to return to action from a knock sustained during last week's win over Villa, Joel Campbell has the opportunity to exploit the left-back's rustiness – very common for players coming back from an injury – to dominate the right flank and create key chances by delivering good crosses for Olivier Giroud to work with inside the box.
Prediction
Arsenal may have a plethora of injuries, but their recent home record has been impressive, and they have more than capable deputizing members in the squad like Joel Campbell who can make a difference on Derby Day. Arsenal's extra day off also gives them a physical advantage over their bitter rivals and one can, thus, expect the Gunners to come out victors for the sixth time in as many games in what is turning out to be an incredible Premier League season so far.
Predicted score: Arsenal 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur
Betting Odds (bet365)
Arsenal – 8/11
Draw – 3/1
Tottenham – 4/1
