Noelle Matthews
- Tottenham v Arsenal
- Sunday, January 15th, 2023, 11:30 ET
- At the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London
Arsenal is setting a strong pace at the top of the Premier League and can pick up another three points against Tottenham in Sunday’s North London derby.
Who do Bettors Favor?
Checking out the best-rated online sportsbooks we can see that Arsenal are the favorites for this North London derby. The Gunners are rated as +120 chances here, while Tottenham are available at the bigger price of +220 and the draw is the underdog at between +255 and +270.
| Tottenham v Arsenal |  |  |  |
| Tottenham | +230 | +220 | +220 |
| Draw | +270 | +255 | +265 |
| Arsenal | +117 | +120 | +115 |
Pressure on Tottenham Ahead of Big Test
After a top-four finish last season much was expected of Antonio Conte’s Tottenham this time around in his first full season in North London, but it has been a frustrating campaign for Spurs fans so far.
Spurs made a good start, winning seven of its first ten games but lost three from five going into the World Cup break and since the resumption of Premier League action, Tottenham has lost to Aston Villa and dropped points against Brentford. Victory over Crystal Palace and progression in the FA Cup has provided some breathing space for Conte, but the club is under pressure with fans demanding more spending in order to close the gap on their rivals.
Going into this game, Tottenham is in fifth but trails Arsenal by 11 points, and the Gunners also have a game in hand. Defeat in this game would increase the pressure on Conte still further with two games against Manchester City coming up in the next three weeks.
Arsenal Setting Strong Pace
It took a while, but Mikel Arteta has turned Arsenal into a genuine title contender, producing a brand of exciting attacking football that draws on the depth of young talent that the club enjoys.
Arsenal has set a strong pace at the top of the Premier League and has lost only once all season. The World Cup break provided a challenge, but high scoring wins over West Ham and Brighton ensured that the Premier League momentum was maintained and on Monday, Arteta’s team comfortably overcame lower league opposition to set up a fourth-round FA Cup tie against Manchester City.
The two league games against the reigning champions, on February 11 and April 26 could be decisive in determining the eventual destination of the Premier League trophy, but Arsenal’s five-point lead over City looks solid and there is no indication that this young team is starting to feel the pressure.
Premier League Betting Head to Head
This is one of the oldest rivalries in English football, dating back to 1896, when Arsenal was known as Woolwich Arsenal and based in the South East of the capital, but it took on its present intensity in 1913 when Arsenal moved to Highbury in North London and dropped the Woolwich.
The Gunners have had the better of the head-to-head record, winning 85 of their 206 matches against Tottenham, while Spurs have won 67 and 54 have ended in draws.
Last season both teams won the home leg of this rivalry and that pattern continued earlier this season when Arsenal won 3-1 at the Emirates Stadium in October
Premier League Betting Team News
Antonio Conte is wrestling with an injury crisis which meant that first-choice strikers Harry Kane and Son Heung-min had to start against Portsmouth in the FA Cup, despite a host of other changes.
Attacking players Richarlison, Lucas Moura and Dejan Kulusevski are still absent, along with midfielders Rodrigo Bentancur and Yves Bissouma, but Conte will be hoping that one or two of them might be ready for this crucial game, with Kulusevski and Bissouma the most likely candidates.
For Arsenal, the team news is relatively good. Bukayo Saka appeared to pick up an injury against Oxford in the FA Cup on Monday, but he has recovered and will be available for this one.
Gabriel Jesus and Reiss Nelson are still out, but Emile Smith Rowe made a pleasing return to action in the Cup, playing 15 minutes at the end of the game, and he may be in line for a start here. Mikel Arteta is expected to make several changes from the FA Cup lineup but Eddie Nketiah, who has been deputizing for Gabriel Jesus, is likely to be leading the line once more.
Premier League Match Betting Pick
Tottenham has had two extra days’ rest to prepare for this game, but I don’t think that will be enough to give Conte’s men an advantage here.
Arsenal is the better team in all departments, and confidence is high in the Gunners’ ranks. Picking the visiting team at short odds isn’t usually a great idea, but Arsenal could justifiably be shorter in price. We can look forward to another high-scoring London derby but Arteta’s team should come out on top and is the best option in the match betting market.
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