Arsenal

Gunners take impressive home record into North London Derby

Published

4 years ago

31st August 2019

Dave James

The first north London derby of the season sees two of the teams with Top-4 aspirations meet at the Emirates.

Both teams have several new signings who seem to be settling in well, notably Nicolas Pépé and Dani Ceballos for Arsenal.

Weakness at the back?

The defensive frailties that dogged the Gunners last season show no signs of dissipating, having conceded against Burnley and then three against Liverpool. Tottenham, meanwhile, have yet to keep a clean-sheet in the PL this season.

So do these defensive issues mean that a plethora of goals are likely? Well, if the previous encounters are anything to go by, the answer is a resounding yes.

Since 1909, league games between the two teams have seen an average of 2.9 goals.

But the Emirates seems to be even more likely to host a goal-fest. In the 13 north London derbies played at the stadium, there have been 51 goals – an average of almost 4 per game!

This makes the odds of around Evens on offer for BTTS and over 2.5 goals look pretty tempting.

Kane is able

Although drawing a blank in his last game, Harry Kane clearly loves taking on his local rivals. In last season’s respective fixture, Kane became the all-time leading scorer in north London derbies (in the PL era).

He is available to score anytime at 11/10, or at 4/1 to net the first. Digging deeper, Kane has scored 2 penalties in his last 3 games at the Emirates. Tottenham to score a penalty is 6/1, and the first goal to be a penalty is 10/1.

Card happy?

Traditionally a feisty affair, there may be some value in the cards market. The 13 matches at the Emirates have witnessed 3 red cards and 56 yellows – so over 4.5 cards looks a reasonable shout, especially with last season’s game seeing 7 yellows and a red.

Win, lose, or draw?

Arsenal boast a strong record at the Emirates against Tottenham in the PL, winning 8 and losing only one of 13. This makes the 7/5 available for the home win appear fairly generous.

Suggested bets

– Arsenal to win and BTTS @11/4 (Bet365 and BetVictor)
– Arsenal to win 4-2 @50/1 (BetVictor)
– Harry Kane to score anytime @21/20 (Bet365)
– Tottenham to score a penalty @6/1 (Bet365)