Premier League betting: Go for a stalemate as Tottenham host Arsenal in the North London derby

Recommended Bets:

• Correct Score 1-1 Draw at 13/2 BetVictor

• Dele Alli To Score Anytime at 11/4 888Sport

New customers to 888Sport can get TREBLE THE ODDS on your first bet!

CLICK HERE to claim

The North London Derby between Tottenham and Arsenal is always a huge game in the Premier League calendar and the intensity raised even higher this weekend as title aspirations are on the line for both.

Tottenham saw their run of six consecutive victories halted at West Ham on Wednesday night, with a below par performance. Although they played better in the second half, Spurs just couldn’t muster a clear-cut chance and they lost just their second away game of the season.

Arsenal’s sporadic form continued with a very poor 1-2 defeat to Swansea at the Emirates, to make it three defeats in a row. To compound matters further, both Petr Cech and Laurent Koscielny picked up injuries and are likely to miss the big game.

Tottenham are the 12/5 favourites with Paddy Power going into the match, with Arsenal available at 9/4 with 888Sport. These two sides have drawn four times in the last sixteen meetings and local derbies can often be tight games so the draw at 5/2 (BetVictor) is always a big runner here.

Fourteen goals have been scored in the last seven matches and with so much riding on this game, we may well get a cagey affair with few goals, so the “Under 2.5 Goals” bet available at Evens with Paddy Power, is a possible betting option.

Tottenham’s Harry Kane is unsurprising favourite to score first at 9/2 with Skybet, although with the game potentially opening up in the second half, Dele Alli at 11/4 with 888Sport to score “anytime” could attract some punters.  If you are new to 888Sport they will also treat you to treble the odds on your first bet up to £10!

Olivier Giroud is the best priced Arsenal player to score first at 13/2 with Coral, but the Frenchman’s form has been poor of late, so I would look towards Danny Welbeck at 7/1 (bet365) for an Arsenal player to score first.

Arsenal’s recent form combined with the absence of Cech and Koscielny, may push Arsene Wenger to set up more defensively against an attacking Spurs side, utilising the pace of Welbeck and Sanchez to try to attack Spurs on the break.

However, I would expect Spurs to play slightly deeper, with Toby Alderweireld and Kevin Wimmer dropping a few yards back to counter the Arsenal pace and with Eric Dier’s defensive midfield role likely to make or break a good result for Spurs.

Expect a tough encounter with both sides cancelling each other out. I’m betting on a 1-1 draw here (13/2 with BetVictor), which would be music to Leicester’s ears!