Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur both have a desire to close the gap on Manchester City and Liverpool in the Premier League this season, but the two North London clubs will meet at the Emirates Stadium this weekend on the back of defeats and criticism to match. Arsenal were expected to suffer a setback at Anfield, although the standard of their defending left a lot to be desired, while Spurs delivered a third successive below-par display, this time being edged out by Newcastle United in front of their own supporters. It may leave punters in two minds over who to back this weekend and what to place bets on but to us, their respective recent results should make it easier for people to find some value.
When taking your place in the betting lounge, the most obvious bet to consider is the match result, and most betting tips will point you in the direction of backing Arsenal. While Unai Emery's team may have made hard work of seeing off Burnley earlier this month, you have to take into consideration that the club's summer arrivals have all got an extra game under their belt since then, something which could make the difference in a fixture like this one which will be played at a frantic pace. Arsenal will always offer opportunities at the other end, even more so now that David Luiz has joined from Chelsea, but having the likes of Nicolas Pepe, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette working in tandem should always mean that there is value in backing them at home, regardless of the opposition. With Arsenal being available at 7/5 for this weekend's game, it is an absolute no-brainer.
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We feel the same with regards to bets involving goals being scored. Each team have only conceded four apiece in their three matches of the new Premier League campaign, but it could - and should - have been more than that. That is especially the case with Spurs as they allowed Man City to have over 30 shots in their meeting at the Etihad Stadium. You should also take into consideration that the only clean sheet which has been kept by either side is when Arsenal faced an unadventurous Newcastle side on the opening weekend. You will be able to get 4/7 for over 2.5 goals to be scored, but we feel that you take a calculated risk on the 6/4 being offered for over 3.5 goals. You won't get much value - around 1/2 - for both teams to score, but it would be a surprise if it didn't come in by the full-time whistle.
The anytime goalscoring bets are also catching our eye. While we would stay clear of Harry Kane due to his betting odds being around the Evens mark, we cannot ignore Son Heung-min being double that. The South Korea international posed a limited threat during his comeback game from suspension last weekend, but the versatile attacker should be sharper for his next outing. You also have to wonder whether it is worth taking a gamble on Christian Eriksen. Despite the Dane finding himself in and out of the team due to the speculation regarding his future, it is not often that he is priced at over 3/1 to score a goal during a match. If no transfer is in the offing come the middle part of the weekend, Mauricio Pochettino cannot afford to leave one of his star men out of the team ahead of a showdown with Arsenal and having witnessed his team put together a two-match winless streak.
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