Premier League preview: Tottenham Hotspur aiming to derail Arsenal’s title bid

Tottenham Hotspur head into their latest encounter with Arsenal aiming to prove they can be contenders in the Premier League this season.

Manager Ange Posteocglou will be eager for his side to record a statement victory and demonstrate they deserve to be talked about in the same breath as their London rivals.

Tottenham have not beaten Arsenal in their last four league meetings and online bookmakers think they could be in for a tough time on Sunday.

The Gunners are priced at 1/1 on the sportsbook linked to this reliable Bitcoin casino, while Tottenham are rated as 51/20 shots.

However, it would be foolish to underestimate Tottenham’s chances of upsetting the odds, particularly with the visitors likely to be missing several key players.

Tottenham Hotspur vs Arsenal team news

Tottenham could be close to full strength this weekend, with Dominic Solanke and Micky van de Ven expected to return after their respective injuries.

Both players were close to being available for the trip to Newcastle United, but the club decided to err on the side of caution rather than take unnecessary risks.

Brazilian forward Richarlison also missed the game with a muscle injury and no timeframe has been set for his return to first-team action.

Arsenal will be without midfielder Declan Rice as he serves a suspension for his needless sending off in a 1-1 draw at home to Brighton & Hove Albion.

Martin Odegaard limped out of that contest and has subsequently picked up another issue playing for Norway in the Nations League.

Takehiro Tomiyasu, Kieran Tierney and Jurrien Timber are all expected to miss the game, leaving Arsenal sweating on Riccardo Calafiori’s fitness.

He suffered an injury during Italy’s Nations League win over France, but it is reportedly not as serious as was initially feared.

New signing Mikel Merino is definitely sidelined with a shoulder injury, but Gabriel Jesus could return after playing for Brazil in their World Cup qualifiers.

Tottenham Hotspur vs Arsenal preview

Both teams head into the derby clash with a point to prove after making indifferent starts to the respective Premier League campaigns.

Tottenham missed a ton of chances in their opening game at Leicester City, and were left to rue their profligacy as the home side snatched a 1-1 draw.

They subsequently turned on the style to demolish Everton 4-0, before coming back down to earth with a narrow 2-1 defeat at Newcastle.

Posteocglou’s side dominated possession and the shot count at St James’ Park, but were left empty-handed after Alexander Isak netted a late winner.

Arsenal were underwhelming in their season opener against Wolverhampton Wanderers, but had enough class to secure a 2-0 home victory.

They produced an improved performance to triumph by the same scoreline at Aston Villa, before grabbing a fortunate point at home to Brighton.

Rice’s petulance could have cost his team dearly at the Emirates Stadium and Arsenal will be hoping his absence does not impact their fortunes at Tottenham.

Tottenham Hotspur vs Arsenal prediction

With several players ruled out this weekend, the trip to Tottenham is undoubtedly a potential banana skin for Mikel Arteta’s side.

Spurs could easily have collected nine points if they had been more efficient in front of goal and will fancy their chances of causing Arsenal problems this weekend.

With the Gunners yet to produce their best form, this looks to be a relatively good opportunity for Tottenham to upset the odds.

Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 Arsenal.

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