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Five-time English first division winner Mark Lawrenson has predicted a 1-1 draw when Arsenal lock horns with Tottenham Hotspur this week. The Gunners travel to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for a north London derby in the Premier League on Thursday, 12 May.
Mikel Arteta's side will enter this contest in good form, having won each of their last four matches to sit fourth in the standings. Their latest assignment against Leeds United on 8 May ended in a 2-1 win in their favor that sent them four points clear of fifth-placed Tottenham.
Spurs, meanwhile, have had a mixed run over their last five matches, winning twice, drawing twice and losing once. In their last match on 8 May, Antonio Conte's men picked up a hard-fought 1-1 draw against title-chasing Liverpool at Anfield.
With only two matches to go in the league season after this one, both Arsenal and Tottenham will be desperate to win. Victory for the visitors will seal their place in next season's UEFA Champions League, while Spurs can reduce the gap between the teams to one point with a win.
Former Liverpool defender Lawrenson believes the match will be played at a good pace, saying (as quoted by the BBC):
"I am not really expecting a good match here in the usual sense because it will be played at 100mph but it will be a good one to watch even if the quality is not there."
He added that more pressure will be on Tottenham Hotspur due to the Gunners' four-point advantage over their rivals:
"Tottenham are the team who have to win, but it is going to be interesting to see how Arsenal approach it. They don't find it easy to control most games, let alone games like this one where there will be loads of bookings and maybe not much football played."
Lawrenson concluded:
"I don't actually think there will be that many goals either, and it is very hard to pick a winner."
The aforementioned report ultimately mentions his prediction as 1-1.
"Lawro's prediction: 1-1"
Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur have been evenly matched in recent meetings
It is difficult to pick a winner between Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur based just on recent history. They have faced each other in six Premier League matches since 2019, picking up two wins apiece while the other two contests have ended in draws.
This will be the second meeting between the Gunners and Spurs this season after their reverse fixture in September last year at the Emirates. On that occasion, Arteta's men ran out 3-1 winners thanks to goals from Emile Smith Rowe, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Bukayo Saka. Son Heung-min got a late consolation for Tottenham.
