Friday, September 14, 2007

Match Preview: Spurs v Arsenal

So the North London Derby is back again. This match never disappoints, usually filled with goals, cards, arguments and plenty of late drama. And the old rivals' starts to the season could not be more different. Spurs are off to a terrible start, the reason in most people's eyes being that they were unlucky, but also, not ngood enough. Defeats away at Sunderland and at home to Everton put Martin Jol's side rock bottom. They "bounced back" by putting four past hapless Derby but in all honesty, this Rams side is probably the worst to have ever played in the Premiership. Then they played an out-of-form Manchester United at Old Trafford and were beaten by a freak goal from Nani, or was it Tevez? Spurs then followed up this disappointment by throwing away a 3-1 lead, so that Fulham could snatch a last-gasp point.

Arsenal on the other hand, are flying. They're sitting pretty in 2nd place, with three wins from four games. The Gunners produced a late comeback at home to Fulham, late goals from van Persie and Hleb cancelled out a howler from Lehmann earlier in the match. They then beat Sparta Prague 2-0 in the first leg of the Champions League qualifier which was followed by another Jens Lehmann mistake that cost Arsene Wenger's boys three points at Blackburn, in a game which ended 1-1. Wins at home to City and Pompey as well a second-leg thrashing of Prague, puts The Gunners in a great position, and full of confidence going into tomorrow's big clash.
Spurs welcome back Michael Dawson, Aaron Lennon and Darren Bent amongst others, while Arsene Wenger will be pleased to have Bacary Sagna back in the squad. But Lehmann, Gallas and Eboue are all out injured while Phillipe Senderos is suspended. New signing, Lassana Diarra could feature for the first time, with Gilberto slotting into defence.
Danger Man:
Emmanuel Adebayor - The big Togo striker loves playing against Tottenham, after he scored three goals against them last season. Since his return from injury he's looked a bit rusty, but with a rest and a few games under his belt, Ade could be back to his best, terrorising the opposition's defence.
Team Prediction:

Score Prediction:
Spurs 1-2 Arsenal (Berbatov, Adebayor, Flamini)

Welcome

Hey gooners,
I've started this blog because I'm a passionate Arsenal fan who likes to share his views with others. As the title indicates, it's about all the big news from around the club, as well as some match previews and reviews. I hope you enjoy it and I'd like to get a few visitors so if its not too terrible, it would be grand if you could take 5 minutes of your time, just to have a quick peek. Comments are much appreciated, including your views on the latest news. Thanks for reading.