Arsenal can seal themselves into the top-four with a win over Tottenham Hotspur this evening, but the three points won’t come easy.
Neither manager is likely to need much of a teamtalk this evening with so much on the line, with today’s North London Derby about much more than just bragging rights.
Spurs have to chase the win, as the draw leaves us in the comfortable position of holding onto our four-point lead with just two matches remaining for both teams after tonight, and that could well leave them vulnerable as the minutes roll by.
While we have the numerical advantage, Tottenham of course have their home crowd behind them to help spur them on, although I wouldn’t rule out our lesser numbers proving to be just as loud from the away end.
On paper, the form is hugely in our favour also. After four straight wins over Chelsea, Man United, West Ham and Leeds, our side should be brimming with confidence. The home side have just the one win from their last four however, although you could downplay their failure to beat Brentford and Brighton given we also failed to beat the pair just before our run of wins.
Spurs also impressed away at Anfield in their most recent outing, and some even feel they were unlucky not to have claimed a win there, and they may well take a lot of confidence out of that performance.
I would be very shocked if this one was to end up 0-0, with Tottenham having to give it everything to try and stay in the hunt for the CL places, and that has to leave them a little susceptible to a counter attack, and our team has plenty of speed to take full advantage of that.
Should Arsenal grab the opening goal, this could easily turn into a high-scoring game, while a home goal to start things off could well see a change in tactics by Tottenham, who would take a 1-0 at any costs. I feel the pressure is likely to bring some mistakes from both sides, and this could well be an amazing spectacle for the neutrals, and I’m banking on our side to come out on top.
While I think this could easily end anywhere from 2-1 to 3-4, I’m going for a 3-2 win for our side, with Nketiah showing once again why he can be an asset under pressure moving forwards.
What are your predictions for tonight’s derby clash?
Patrick