Tottenham – Arsenal

Tottenham and Arsenal will square off in the most anticipated game of the Round in Premier League, to decide who will have the bragging rights in North London until the end of the season. Of course, there`s more than that at stake, with the hosts trying to secure an Europa League finish and Arsenal trying to take advantage of Chelsea`s loss against Aston Villa and get back in the title race.

Tottenham (5th place) managed to lose 1-3 to Benfica in the Europa League on Thursday due to a very poor display, making for their 2nd consecutive heavy loss after the 4-0 drubbing they got from Chelsea. Spurs have failed to find any rhythm this season and it`s pretty clear that they will remain trophyless and only finish 5th or 6th in the Premier League – at best.

After a bad patch of form Arsenal recovered last weekend with a great 4-1 win against Everton in the FA Cup and was also decent in the 1-1 draw at Munchen in the 2nd leg of the Champions League, even though they lost qualification after losing 2-0 at home. This is a massive game for Arsenal right here – they are set to meet Chelsea and Manchester City in the next two rounds so they must get the three points here if they are to stand any chance of winning the title. Arsenal is currently tied for the 3rd place with Liverpool, 1 point behing City (who has one game in hand) and 7 points against Chelsea (who has 2 extra games).

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Team news and lineups

Injuries will play a big part in this match as both teams have serious squad problems. Tottenham will miss Chiriches, Dawson, Lamela and Capoue, while also having to undergo late fitness tests on Adebayor, Walker and Dembele. Arsenal suffered a blow at the news of Mesut Ozil`s injury, so he will miss this game along with Diaby, Ramsey and Walcott, while Bendtner, Gibbs and Sanogo are doubtful.

Tottenham: Lloris – Naughton, Kaboul, Vertonghen, Rose – Lennon, Paulinho, Sandro, Dembélé – Adebayor, Soldado.

Arsenal: Szczesny – Sagna, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Vermaelen – Arteta, Flamini – Cazorla, Rosicky, Podolski – Giroud.

Both sides are ravaged by injuries but you have to feel that Arsenal (who are the odds-on favorites according to the bookies) will be able to field a stronger lineup here. An important blow for Tottenham is that they will miss two of their 3 key center backs (Chiriches and Dawson), so that will be a blow for a defense that allowed 7 goals in the last 2 games. Arsenal already defeated Tottenham twice this season and with a minimum amount of luck it makes sense for them to do it again. THe gunners are the better team, in better form, hold the H2H and matchup advantage so they will be more confident. Also, I feel the injuries are less critical to them than they are to Tottenham, despite Ozil missing will be a serious problem. All in all I am looking for Arsenal to edge this and I will take them with a 0,25 handicap – the Gunners should be able to break down a decimated and out of rhythm Spurs defense. Lastly, Tottenham has been better on the road than at home this season, so home court advantage might not have such a big impact. My tip is Arsenal -0,25 asian handicap at pretty good odds. Prediction: Tottenham – Arsenal 1-2.

Pick: Arsenal (-0,25 Asian Handicap)
Odds: 2.10 @ Bet365
Stake: 8
Possible profit: 8.8
Event date: 16 March