The North London Derby is sure to be a crowd pleaser this time. The stakes are much higher as both teams have just been knocked out of very important tournaments. Tottenham were shown out of the
FA Cup semi-finals through a surprising performance from Premier League relegated Portsmouth FC. Arsenal were dominated by the Spanish giants Barcelona FC and knocked out in the quarterfinals of the Champions League. Even better to see will be the return of Dutch striker Robin Van Persie.
Van Persie tore a ligament in his ankle earlier this season and is only now recovering. Many have considered it almost miraculous that Arsenal are in the position they have achieved without arguably their best player. Both sides are now just below the table rank they wish to be. Arsenal are a mere 3 points behind league leaders Chelsea and
Tottenham are now 4 points behind 4th placed Manchester City with a game in hand. This match will be attack-minded so expect sparks to fly at White Hart Lane.
The home side are on a bit of a downtrend after losing consecutive matches to Sunderland and Portsmouth. The first was a league match and can be excused as the Spurs were on the road, but the second match took place at Wembley Stadium in the semi-finals of the FA Cup. The disappointment showed on Harry
Redknapp's face as his team conceded 2 unanswered goals to relegated Pompey. Redknapp has a healthy squad and will want his boys to bounce back against their rivals, but will likely be cautious with his strategy.
The Gunners suffered a disappointing but expected blow when Lionel Messi nearly single-handedly showed them out of the UEFA Champions League.
Wenger will now have his entire squad's focus on the title race as they are closer to achieving that goal than they have been in several years. Robin Van Persie is expected to be starting on the bench, but don't expect Wenger to use him unless he absolutely has to. Introducing your best player into a rough match against your arch-rivals would not be wise. Wenger will play his typical possession-oriented football, but he will not be overly aggressive with his formation either.
Both teams really need 3 points from this match; after the first goal is scored many more will follow.
Tottenham Hotspur vs Arsenal FC
Wednesday 14 April, 2010
Kickoff: 9:00 PM (CET)
Venue: White Hart Lane (London)
Tip: Over 2.5 Goals
Best Odds: 1.87 @ Expekt
