Premier League: Arsenal Can Secure Champions League Return Here

Tottenham Hotspur vs Arsenal

The fourth Champions League spot is up for grabs when Tottenham host Arsenal this Thursday at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The hosts sit fifth at the Premier League table with 62 points, while their visitors in Arsenal are right above them with 66. And with three more matchdays left including this one, both clubs are in must-win mode.

After experiencing rough starts to their respective campaigns, Tottenham and Arsenal have yielded impressive improvements from their end, albeit through different ways.

Arsenal have stuck it out with Mikel Arteta despite numerous calls for his sacking, which has paid off. On the other hand, Tottenham’s managerial change midseason has been the key reason to their rise.

The pre-match SBOTOP betting odds predict another close affair for this upcoming North London derby which was previously postponed, and we expect nothing less as the Champions League is likely to await the winner.

Talking Points

Tottenham might be vulnerable at the back

Spurs are fresh from a hard-earned 1-1 draw against Liverpool last weekend, which is quite an achievement given that the odds were stacked against them.

Heung-Min Son put the hosts up by one goal 11 minutes after half-time. However, their backline surrendered one goal as well from Luis Diaz.

Liverpool had 22 total shots compared to Tottenham’s eight, and that’s something that needs to be fixed for the Spurs.

Conte isn’t happy that he only has 15 players available ahead of Thursday since he’ll have several defenders missing, which makes their task harder in these next few weeks.

Sergio Reguilon could be out for the rest of the season due to a groin problem, while Oliver Skipp, Japhet Tanganga, and Matt Doherty join him in the recovery room. Meanwhile, Davinson Sanchez came off the bench last week and could contend for a start since they’ll need another big body at central defence.

Besides Heung-Min Son, Tottenham will rely on the likes of Harry Kane, Dejan Kulusevski, and Lucas Moura to provide them the much-needed goals to counter against a dangerous Arsenal group.

Antonio Conte is no longer stranger to games like these with high stakes, and this may very well be the defining moment of their 2021/22 season.

Arsenal are peaking at the right time

The Gunners tightened their grip at the top four spot after extending their win streak to four games by beating Leeds United last Sunday.

Two goals from Eddie Nketiah, along with Luke Ayling’s red card, gave Arsenal the much-needed victory to inch one step closer to the Champions League next term.

Eddie Nketiah will be out of contract one month later and he’ll turn 23 at the end of May, so this performance from him should give Mikel Arteta and co. something to think about and he’s in line to start again in the North London derby.

He’s likely to link up with Bukayo Saka up front as the 20-year-old is fit to play after sitting out against Leeds. Meanwhile, Ben White’s return after missing their last two games will help shore up their backline.

History

Tottenham and Arsenal will meet for the 205^th time this Thursday. Prior to this upcoming game, Arsenal have the head-to-head edge with 84 victories, whereas Tottenham have won 66 times along with 54 draws.

The Spurs are unbeaten in their last seven home league matches against Arsenal (W5, D2), which is their longest run against their North London derby rivals since their nine-game undefeated run back in 1960 to 1968.

They are also looking to win three straight home league matches against the Gunners for the first time since 1961.

Arsenal are bidding for their first league double over Tottenham since 2013/14. In their reverse fixture last September, the Gunners won 3-1 as Bukayo Saka, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and Emile Smith Rowe all scored in the first half, while Heung-Min Son scored the lone goal for Tottenham in the second half.

Betting Tip

Tottenham are predicted to win this one at home, as per the updated Premier League 2022 odds. The Spurs are installed at 2.16, while an Arsenal win and a draw are both priced at 3.30 in the 1X2 market.

With Tottenham and Arsenal evenly matched on paper, this game is a tough call but we’re guaranteed to see these two sides generate numerous Premier League 2022 highlights given this game of high magnitude.

So going for Over 2.50 @ 1.84 is your best bet here, and fans from both Tottenham and Arsenal along with the neutrals will have to buckle up for another exciting edition of the North London derby.

 

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