This Saturday will once again see another North London derby. A fixture which is one of my favourite throughout the year and yet at the same time one that I dread the most. For the last 10 years, Arsenal have been the favourite to win the derby which means that anything less than this feels like a victory for Spurs.
This Saturday’s derby promises to be one of the most interesting in a long time. Both teams have strong squads and have kicked off their seasons with a set of impressive results and performances. Every Arsenal or Spurs fan I speak to at the moment has been looking forward to this game for weeks.
So what will happen at the Emirates? My prediction is a 2-2 draw.
Why have I gone for a 2-2 draw? We’ll I’m glad you asked. There are two main reasons. First despite having a weakened squad due to the loss of key players such as Defoe, Modric and Lennon and losing to Stoke, Spurs always play out of their ksin in the derby. I believe this will pull them through to perform well at the Emirates.
Second, although I believe Arsenal should win, particulary as they are in great form and some players have hit good form (such as van Persie, Fabregas and Arshavin), they still have an uncanny ability to make stupid mistakes and throw away wins.
Therefore with these two factors in mind, I’ve opted for a 2-2 draw. With a controversial penalty decision not given. Just for fun.
Obviously though, I’m praying for an Arsenal win. Cos that would be superb. Adm defintley not a loss as that would result in at least a year of over the top smugness from certain Spurs fans.
James
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Response and Prediction by Simon
I have to say, I find James’ prediction above to be a smidgin generous. I have the sneaking suspicion he is playing it safe going for a draw, but there we go. If I’m honest, I’m not particularly optimistic this year, which is odd given Spurs have done so well so far. Here are some reasons for my lack of optimism:
1. Defoe is missing: while on paper Tottenham have three other international quality strikers, I still think Defoe will be a big loss. Keane’s form has been largely abysmal this year, other than that game where he scored four (obviously). In most games he has simply disappeared, which is worrying. Crouch is great, but he needs a lively strike partner, and Keane is not especially lively right now. As for Pavlyuchenko, he looks about as confident as, well, <this little creature> . With Defoe playing, we would have beaten Stoke; as it was, we didn’t even score.
2. Other Injuries: With Modric and now Lennon missing, as well as Defoe, I wonder where that little spark of magic you need in these games will come from. Bentley? Perhaps, but unlikely. Kranjcar? Well, I’m sceptical. Those three (Modric, Lennon, Defoe) are really the three quickest, most inventive players we have. Without any of them playing the role of catalyst, I’m not sure from where we will get any flashes of genius.
3. Last two performances against top clubs: Excusing the win against Liverpool on the first day of the season, we haven’t looked great against the other top clubs this year. OK, so we’ve only played two others, but in both the Man. Utd and Chelsea games we gave quite disappointing performances. We will need to play very well to get a win, or even a draw, on Saturday.
4. A hunch: I just have a hunch we’ll have a tough day on Saturday. I think the Stoke game may have shaken our confidence, even though we beat Everton midweek. That Stoke game was the first time this year when we’ve been beaten when we should have won. That may mean a tiny bit of insecurity may start to slip in for us, which could be fatal against the Gunners.
All that said, then, my prediction for Saturday is 2-1 to Arsenal.
But I will be delighted if I am proven wrong.
Simon
Seven Sisters Road 
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