The window of opportunity feels like it's starting to just nudge shut on Arsenal. In a year where Manchester City, Chelsea and Manchester United have all fallen apart, the Gunners really had a chance to win the Premier League. Instead, they've fallen six points back of Leicester City with just 10 matches left to play.
Tottenham is actually the closer of the two teams to the top of the table at this point. The Spurs are only three adrift of Leicester, and they have the goal differential tiebreaker in hand by a comfortable seven.
Needless to say, these two North London sides are going to have a ton on the line this Saturday at White Hart Lane to kick off the EPL weekend.
Soccer Odds at BookMaker.eu
Tottenham +135
Arsenal +205
Draw +250
Over/Under 2.5
ODDS ANALYSIS
Had Arsenal been in better form coming into this match, we'd bet this duel would be about as close to a pick 'em as you could get. As it is though, it's been a disappointing week for the Gunners, and they'll need to pick themselves up off the mat as underdogs. Surely, a loss in this match would end any hope of capturing the title, and that would also thrust them back into the fray with a ton of other teams hoping to capture a top four finish to stay in the Champions League for next year.
Tottenham hasn't been impressive in its own right though, and that's why it's only the relatively narrow +135 favorite in this match.
The total is about as even as you can get at a flat 2.5.
KEY INJURIES
Arsenal's list of injuries just got a heck of a lot longer. Forget about all of the long-term absentees. Though you could make a great team out of the injured Gunners, the two most recent knocks to Petr Cech and Laurent Koscienly are devastating. Koscienly was a late scratch against Swansea on Wednesday with a calf injury, while Cech was subbed out of the match thanks to a calf problem of his own.
Arsene Wenger suggests that neither man will be ready for the North London Derby.
Tottenham is still relatively healthy, missing just the long-term absentees of Moussa Dembele and Jan Vertonghen.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"It looks like it a bit. We have to focus on our job and remind ourselves that we have some quality as well. And of course analyze it well and bounce back. We have a big game in three days again." – Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger when asked if his team has lost its confidence after a 2-1 loss at home to Swansea City on Wednesday
RECENT FORM
You really didn't expect to see Tottenham slip up on Wednesday against West Ham, but that's exactly what happened. The Spurs had been playing well, but the 1-0 loss really proved to be a lost opportunity when they could've gotten to the top of the Premier League with three points.
Arsenal has now been beaten in three straight matches across all competitions. The loss at home to Barcelona was expected, and the defeat at Old Trafford against Manchester United wasn't overly shocking, but to lose at home to Swansea City is the type of defeat which can wreck a season.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
It's impossible to measure just how important Cech is to Arsenal. He's really the life and soul of the Gunners right now, and he's the only man who really seemed to be stepping up in the face of adversity.
Sure, Arsenal was unlucky to not beat Swansea; it certainly had the better chances and the higher quantity of looks at the target, and it cracked the bar a couple times as well. Still, we really just don't see confidence out of the men in red, and we think they're going to get caught at the Lane by a team which should've beaten them earlier in the season at the Emirates.
It's strange to think that the title race could very well be down to Tottenham and Leicester with nine fixtures to play, but that might be what we're left with after Saturday.
Tottenham 2, Arsenal 0
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