Tipovi za Tiket 20.-21. 11. 2010.

 20-11-2010

15:30 Freiburg - Borussia D.

Freiburg has done exceptionally well in the first 12 matches of this campaign. They are sitting in sixth place with 17 points and show a good home record of P6 W4 D0 L2 GF10 GA9. Only their last home game again Mainz (1-0) went under 2.5 goals, otherwise there has been prolific scoring in Breisgau.

Borussia Dortmund has achieved its best record in the 47-year history of Bundesliga after 12 games. Their away record is incredible: P6 W6 D0 L0 GF17 GA4, in none of their matches away from home they have scored less than 2 goals.

There is also a long history of high scoring games between those two teams in Freiburg. Their head to head record shows (from Freiburg's side) P11 W2 D6 L3 GF19 GA20. That is 3,5 goals per game. Last five games have also produced at least 4 goals per game, among them three 2-2 draws.

Tip: Over 2.5 goals @ 1.81 

 

18:30 Liverpool - West Ham United

Only Wigan have scored fewer than West Ham's 11 goals from 13 matches, and I fear they are unlikely to get many chances to add to that total in Saturday evening's match.

There are three aspects to this match that may give them encouragement – namely Liverpool's continued uninspiring form, Steven Gerrard’s hamstring injury and their brave performance in defeat at the Emirates a few weeks ago, but they still have a dreadful recent record at Anfield to overcome.

They have scored just once and taken a solitary point in their last six visits. West Ham have not won at Anfield since 1963, so I fear that they will return to London without reward again this time around.

Tips: Liverpool to win to nil @ 2.10

Half-time / full-time: Liverpool / Liverpool @ 2.10

22:00 Real - Athletic Bilbao

Los Blancos remain unbeaten this season and look particularly formidable at home, winning every match played at the Santiago Bernabeu. The Basque visitors have failed to threaten in recent visits to the capital, and given their dreadful away form in this campaign, it is likely to be one-way traffic for Mourinho's men.

Key Stats

* Four of the last five Real Madrid - Athletic Bilbao games have gone over 2.5 goals

* Last season's result at Santiago Bernabeu: Real Madrid 5-1 Athletic Bilbao

* Real Madrid have the best defensive record in La Liga (Five goals conceded in 11 games)

* Athletic Bilbao away record in La Liga so far (W1 D1 L3) 

Prediction: Real Madrid 3-0 Athletic Bilbao

Odds on Real Madrid 3-0 win @ 7.0

Over 2.5 goals @ 1.40

Real Madrid (-2 handicap) @ 2.07

21-11-2010

19:00 Sevilla - Mallorca

Sevilla entertain Mallorca on Sunday and will look to continue their excellent home form by bagging all three points. The Sevilla coach Gregorio Manzano comes up against his old club, were he performed wonders last season by just narrowly missing out on a Champions League spot.

Mallorca can be a stubborn unit but they usually save their best form for home matches and the attacking artillery that Manzano can deploy, in the form of Kanoute, Fabiano and Negredo should be enough to continue their excellent home form. Odds of around 1.60 are attractive on a home win

Tip: Sevilla to win @ 1.60

Read More

20-11-2010 20:45 Milan - Fiorentina

Catch Us If You Can
 
At the start of the season Milan were one of the challengers for the Scudetto but right now the Rossoneri are the ones to be challenged for the Serie A title. After a somewhat unconvincing start both in the league and in the Champions League, Masimilliano Allegri’s side have picked up momentum and are brushing aside all challenges.

Milan’s narrow 1-0 win against Inter in the Derby della Madonnina last weekend was their seventh in eight league fixtures and put them six points ahead of the Italian and European champions. It also maintained the Diavolo’s one-point lead over second-placed Lazio as they have 26 points from 12 matches.

On Saturday evening Milan host Fiorentina and will be strong favourites to pick up yet another victory. The 2004 Italian champions have won four of their six home league matches and have conceded just five. With Zlatan Ibrahimovic in red-hot form and confidence exalted to the sky, they will be the favourites to win against the visitors from Florence.

Improvement Continues

Fiorentina’s season had started on the wrong foot with the Viola flirting with relegation at one point. However, coach Sinisa Mihajlovic seems to have regained control of the ship and thing are gradually improving.

Last weekend the Gigliati defeated Cesena 1-0 in Florence to collect their fourth home win of the league campaign and climbed up to 12th in the standings with 15 points, four clear of the relegation zone.

Nevertheless, Fiorentina have a wretched record away from Florence as they have yet to register a win on the road. A victory in Milan would be miraculous but the fact that they would start the match as underdogs could put them in an advantageous position.



TEAM NEWS

Milan

Pato, Inzaghi and Oddo are out due to injuries and Abate is suspended. Allegri could go with a 4-3-2-1 formation that will see Robinho get relegated to the bench and Ibrahimovic start as the lone striker up front with Ronaldinho and Seedorf playing behind him.

Fiorentina

Frey, Montolivo, Jovetic, Zanetti, Felipe and Mutu are unavailable because of injuries. Mihajlovic is likely to opt for a 4-2-3-1 formation with Gilardino as the only striker and Santana, Ljajic and Vargas playing behind him.


Prediction

Milan are in breathtaking form of late and their victory over Inter last weekend will have inflated their confidence. It is hard to envisage a defeat for the Rossoneri at San Siro. Fiorentina are a tricky side and could make it tough but Allegri’s team have enough quality to bag all three points.

Milan 2-0 Fiorentina

Read More

20-11-2010 20:45 Ajax - PSV Eindhoven

Difficult Times In Amsterdam

Ajax made a great start to the 2010-11 season and held on their unbeaten status until they lost the home match against Utrecht early in October 2-0. The Godenzonen have since struggled to find their best form though and they've hit an absolute low in the past couple of weeks.

Teams such as Auxerre (Champions League), ADO Den Haag and AZ proved to be too strong for Ajax, while relegation candidates Excelsior managed to snatch a draw against the Amsterdam giants.

To make things even worse, club icon Johan Cruijff heavily criticized the club's board of directors and has demanded drastic changes within Ajax.

Martin Jol's men currently sit only joint third in the Eredivisie table and are trailing table toppers PSV by six points already. A loss against the Eindhoven side at the weekend could end Ajax's title ambitions for now.

Preparing For Life After Afellay

PSV have every reason to be satisfied with the way things are going so far in the 2010-11 campaign. They currently sit atop of the table with 33 points from 14 games and have lost only one game so far.

They'll be eager to pick up the full three points at the weekend in order to push Ajax out of the title race for now, but despite the importance of the upcoming game, Saturday's match was not the talk of the town in Eindhoven in the past couple of days.

The imminent departure of Ibrahim Afellay to Barcelona made all the headlines in both Dutch and Spanish media this week and PSV could face a difficult task to find a worthy replacement for the versatile midfielder this winter.

The Eindhoven side will have to shift their attention back to the football pitch at the weekend though if they are to pick up a good result in the Amsterdam ArenA.

TEAM NEWS

Ajax

Head coach Martin Jol will still have to make do without the services of back-up goalie Kenneth Vermeer due to injury, while playmaker Nicolas Lodeiro is still unavailable as well. Left back Thimothee Atouba is on his way back after a lengthy injury lay-off, but lacks match rhythm and isn't likely to feature.

Experienced centre back Andre Ooijer will miss the match against his former team due to suspension. The defender got a two-match ban following his red card against AZ last week.

PSV

PSV gaffer Fred Rutten doesn't have many injury worries ahead of the away match against Ajax. Full-back Stanislav Manolev is doubtful due to a recurring groin injury, while young glovesman Jeroen Zoet will miss the match as well.

Furthermore, Serbian defender Jagos Vukovic is unavailable at the weekend due to suspension.

Prediction

Ajax have been in far from impressive form in the past couple of weeks, while PSV have looked rather strong this season. Nevertheless, the Amsterdam side have a great home record against their Eindhoven based counterparts and they'll be eager to return to winning ways on Saturday. The in form Maarten Stekelenburg could very well prove to be too much of an obstacle for the PSV front line.

Ajax 2-1 PSV

Read More

20-11-2010 18:00 Villarreal - Valencia

Aiming For Third

There is a great deal at stake when Villarreal meet Valencia on Saturday afternoon. Not only is their local pride on the line, the Yellow Submarine and los Che are the sides most intently chasing Barcelona and Real Madrid, making this an important fixture in the race for third place.

Juan Carlos Garrido is well aware of the standards required to match the best the Spanish league has to offer, having seen close at hand last weekend Barca pick apart his talented outfit. Admittedly weaker on the road than they are in front of their home fans, Villarreal were brush aside 3-1, despite Nilmar getting them back on terms during the first half.

“Our aspiration is to become the alternative power to Barca and Real Madrid within the next five years,” hugely ambitious president Fernando Roig boomed to the media this week. “I want people to think of Villarreal when they think of yellow, as they think of Manchester United when they think of the Red Devils.

“We must distinguish ourselves by producing good football, being polite and friendly, and do things right to meet the needs of our customers, who of course are our audience.”

Under Garrido, the home audience should be pleased, having seen 12 wins from 13 matches since the former reserve team coach made the step up. Incidentally, the one game that wasn’t won was a defeat against la Blaugrana.

Villarreal may be a relatively small club historically, but the bar is set high for future success, and Saturday’s fixture may well be an important encounter in determining the outcome of their campaign.

Get On A Run

Unlike Villarreal, Valencia have found the going rather hard in La Primera Division over the course of the last month. Prior to last weekend’s 2-0 victory over Getafe, Unai Emery’s side had failed to win in four attempts, losing three times and dropping off the pace of the league leaders.

A tremendous strike from Tino Costa got los Che moving in the right direction against el Geta before David Navarro added the second with a powerful second half header. Having survived a couple of early scares, the Mestalla club were full value for their victory but were not quite at their flowing best, with midfielder Ever Banega omitted from the squad due to disciplinary reasons.

“The primary objective was to win and at some points there were moments of brilliance, and others not as much,” Joaquin, who hit the post, explained after last weekend’s victory. “There is harmony in the dressing room, and this positive result will hopefully be the start of a winning streak. This will give us morale. We can breathe a bit easier now. Now we have another difficult match against Villarreal next, and we cannot let ourselves relax.”

Emery’s men have rarely found playing away from home simple this season, though they do have three wins from the five road trips they’ve made in La Liga. However, los Che also have a midweek Champions League encounter against Bursaspor to consider. With their place in the last 16 of Europe’s elite competition still not secure, three points are essential in midweek, leaving the coach with a difficult balancing act to perform.

TEAM NEWS

Villarreal

Villarreal have an exceptionally healthy squad at present, with Marcos Senna and Jefferson Montero declared fit for last weekend’s encounter against Barcelona. Coach Juan Carlos Garrido has not noted any injury problems since that may at Camp Nou.

Valencia

Jeremy Mathieu faces a lay-off of two or three weeks due to a muscular problem. Additionally, Jordi Alba, who would generally fill in at left-back, has been suffering from tonsillitis and is doubtful.

Cesar Sanchez is still sidelined, while the participation of Juan Mata and Mehmet Topal is questionable.

David Albelda is missing due to suspension.

Prediction

Villarreal are incredibly strong at home and will expect to prove that again on Saturday. Valencia have struggled to match that kind of consistency on the road, plus the guests will have to have a keen eye on their midweek Champions League fixture, which has the potential to detract from their performance at El Madrigal.

Villarreal 2-1Valencia

Read More

20-11-2010 18:30 Bayer Leverkusen - Bayern Munchen

Spirits High In Leverkusen

While the headline story of the Bundesliga season has been Dortmund’s outstanding start, Leverkusen have quietly advanced to second place, and are now seen as the Ruhr side’s main competition for the title. Though seven points behind BvB, die Werkself beat the leaders in their season opener, a reality that will provide encouragement.

Ahead of Saturday’s clash with defending champions Bayern, Leverkusen coach Jupp Heynckes praised his team’s performance during a steep ascent up the league table.

“My team has played successfully this season up to now. In the last two games they have played at the same level as last year,” he said, alluding to his team’s fourth-placed finish in May.

“We have developed as a team, have a super morale ‘til the end and have found a good balance between offence and defence,” Heynckes explained. “We have more self-esteem.”

Last year, Leverkusen impressed in both of their matches against Bayern, which ended in 1-1 draws. Heynckes made sure to stress, however, that the past has no impact over the result of Saturday’s match.

“Everything that happened before has nothing to do with today’s teams. We are a team. Today you can only be successful if the team gets along on and off the field. We all have to be on the same page. That’s the case in this team.”

Bayern Still With Much To Prove

It took more than two months, but Bayern Munich have finally found their form. After a long spell during which they struggled to find the net, the defending Bundesliga champions are now scoring for fun; their 3-0 victory over Nuernberg in last Sunday’s Bavarian derby was a real signal of their intent.

Despite their early season woes, Bayern are only five points behind Leverkusen, who sit second. However, their resurgence of form might have come too late for the Bavarians to defend their title; the gap to leaders Dortmund has already extended to 12 points.

According to club legend Franz Beckenbauer, the current gap is simply impossible to make up. “The way it looks, Dortmund cannot be bothered as front runners,” he said according to TZ. “We are simply unable to catch up.”

On the other hand, fit-again winger Franck Ribery believes that Bayern still have plenty to prove to the football world over the course of the rest of the season.

“We have big plans yet in Munich,” he said.

However, Ribery did concede that the gap to Dortmund will be difficult to make up.

“Until the winter break, we will have to win every match. Twelve points look like a lot, but when you begin a streak, it does not take long to catch up.”

TEAM NEWS

Bayer Leverkusen

The injury crisis at Leverkusen has settled down over the last week as Renato Augusto, Gonzalo Castro, and Sami Hyypia have returned to fitness. Of those three, only Castro is not expected to start, with Daniel Schwaab the preferred choice at right back. Michael Ballack and Stefan Kiessling remain injured, however, and will join suspended defender Stefan Reinartz in the stands.
 
Probable Starting XI: Adler – Schwaab, Friedrich, Hyypia, Kadlec – Vidal, Rolfes – Sam, Renato Augusto, Barnetta – Helmes

Bayern Munich

As it has at Leverkusen, the injury situation at Bayern has also alleviated itself recently. Holger Badstuber, Ivica Olic, Miroslav Klose, Arjen Robben and Rouven Sattelmaier are all unavailable, and Edson Braafheid has also been dropped. However, Franck Ribery and Breno are available, and could feature as substitutes.

Probable Starting XI: Butt – Lahm, Van Buyten, Demichelis, Pranjic – Tymoschuk, Ottl – Altintop, Schweinsteiger, Kroos – Gomez

Prediction

This match should prove to be entertaining from a tactical perspective. Both coaches will place heavy emphasis on the midfield battle, which could result in there being few scoring opportunities. Still, given the form of Mario Gomez and Sidney Sam, at least a goal apiece can be expected. The match is too critical for either team to lose, so a draw seems the most likely result.

Leverkusen 1-1 Bayern Munich

Read More

20-11-2010 18:30 Liverpool - West Ham United

Reds Looking For A Rebound
 
After a poor start to the season, Liverpool had finally begun to show some semblance of form by going on an unbeaten run of six games in all competitions. But a trip to Stoke City saw them relinquish their undefeated run by falling to a 2-0 defeat at the Britannia Stadium.

That game was reminiscent of the Reds’ inconsistency, as it was only a week before that they were celebrating a well-earned victory over Chelsea.

But Hodgson will know that he is one positive run of games away from resurrection, as six points separate the Merseysiders from fourth placed Manchester City.

And playing the bottom placed team in the standings at home can only prove to be a confidence booster in the quest to restore lost pride and reclaim what almost used to be a rightful place in the Champions League.

But for all that to happen, the home side will have to first overcome a few problems in their line-up, as talismanic captain Steven Gerrard has been ruled out for up to four weeks after picking up a hamstring injury whilst on international duty. To add to Hodgson’s woes, Lucas is suspended for this game, and Joe Cole remains a doubt.

This should give Christian Poulsen a chance to shine and redeem himself in the eyes of the fans, after experiencing a poor start to his career on Merseyside.

Hammers Still At The Bottom
 
Thirteen games gone, and West Ham have registered only one victory against their name and are currently at the very bottom of the Premier League - albeit on goal difference. Still, a tally of nine points from 13 games is an underachievement by any standards.

They won’t be able to get out of the drop zone by registering a victory over their opponents, but three points would be a massive step in the right direction.

Avram Grant’s head appeared to be on the chopping block some time back, but vice-chairman Karren Brady has maintained that the gaffer continues to have the owners’ blessing at the moment.

"When you make a very big and important decision to replace a manager you have to take a lot of things into account. We thought very carefully when we appointed Avram and I can assure you there is no finger on the button," she said recently.

"We are not getting results and the table does not lie but we will do everything in our power to support him. "

But having the favour of the upper echelon at Upton Park is far from what the Israeli boss needs at the moment, though it must certainly help in knowing that he is in no danger at the moment.

However, it also means that he has the future of the Hammers in his hands, as a continued inability to register a victory could see the club having to play a deadly catch-up just to secure survival – since they are already four points behind an 18th placed Birmingham City.

TEAM NEWS
 
Liverpool

Steven Gerrard (hamstring) is sidelined for up to four weeks after suffering an injury during the recent international friendly against France.

Worries abound in the engine room, as Lucas is suspended for this game. This means that the Reds will have two different central midfielders for this game.

Joe Cole (hamstring) is unlikely to return in time for this clash, while Daniel Agger (calf) will be unavailable through injury.

But manager Roy Hodgson is booster by the availability of Fernando Torres, Dirk Kuyt, Martin Skrtel and Glen Johnson for this encounter. Fabio Aurelio has also declared himself fit to face the Hammers, after playing 75 minutes in a reserve game against Blackpool.

Possible starting line-up: Reina; Carragher, Kyrgiakos, Skrtel, Konchesky; Meireles, Poulsen, Spearing, Maxi; Kuyt, Torres.

West Ham United

Julien Faubert is back in contention, but is unlikely to make the cut into the starting line-up. Meanwhile, Tal Ben Haim (ankle) is still a doubt, and may not make in time for the game.

Valon Behrami and Kieron Dyer are both doubtful for this encounter, but the latter could come back in time to feature at Anfield.

Manuel da Costa (ankle), Mark Noble (Appendicitis), Thomas Hitzlsperger (thigh) and Jack Collison (knee) all out with respective injuries, and will not make the trip to Merseyside.

Possible starting line-up: Green; Jacobsen, Upson, Gabbidon, Ilunga, Boa Morte, Kovac, Parker, Dyer, Obinna, Piquionne.

Prediction

Liverpool may be a little bruised after the game against Stoke City and may have a make-shift midfield to add to their troubles, but relatively speaking, the visitors have had an equally bad season. So there’s no reason why Hodgson’s charges should not take the three points on offer.

Liverpool 2-0 West Ham

Read More

20-11-2010 16:00 Birmingham City - Chelsea

Feeling The Blues

Birmingham head into the game fresh on something of an upturn after grinding out a point at Eastlands last weekend to bounce back from a crushing midweek defeat at Stoke City, and play at St. Andrew's for the first time since coming from behind to steal a draw against West Ham United.

Prior to the clean sheet in Manchester, McLeish's side had shipped five goals in two back-to-back games, a sequence that does not bode well when up against the top scoring side in the table.

But a win against Chelsea is a must if Birmingham are to leap out of the drop zone, with the Midlands side a point from safety after failing to pick up a win in their last four league games.

Back To Basics

The Premier League champions have a record against Saturday's opponents that should give them a boost after picking up just three points from their previous three games.

Chelsea are unbeaten in 10 against Birmingham, winning six, including two at St Andrew's, and the team from the capital are bettered only by Arsenal on the road this season.

In Florent Malouda, Ancelotti has the league's most potent midfielder, with the Frenchman netting seven times so far — one ahead of Drogba and two ahead of Salomon Kalou.

And the Italian coach will be hoping that at least one of them pop up to ensure that Chelsea maintain their place at the top of the table after blowing the chance to go five points clear of bitter local rivals Arsenal last weekend.

TEAM NEWS 

Birmingham City

Alex McLeish has no fresh injury concerns nor any players on the suspension list, and is likely to name an unchanged side from the team that fought for a goalless draw at Manchester City last weekend.

But the Scot could throw in a wild card with left winger Jean Beausejour knocking at the door for another start after missing out on an appearance at Eastlands.

McLeish has gone on record as saying that his side must follow the example set by Sunderland and adopt a 4-4-2 formation against Chelsea.

Possible starting XI: Foster; Carr, Johnson, Dann, Ridgewell; Larsson, Gardner, Ferguson, Beausejour; Jerome, Zigic
 
Chelsea 

The champions continue to be without John Terry and Alex, posing a significant defensive headache for manager Carlo Ancelotti. The Italian fielded four nominal full-backs for the game against Sunderland, but may be inclined to include young centre-back Jeffrey Bruma after seeing his makeshift backline torn apart by the Mackems.

Frank Lampard is again expected to be absent, and definitely missing out will be Michael Essien, who will sit out the next two games as a result of suspension. Didier Drogba should figure if he can prove his fitness after missing out Ivory Coast's friendly against Poland suffering the lingering effects of malaria contracted in October.

Possible starting XI: Cech; Bosingwa, Ivanovic, Bruma, Cole; Mikel, Ramires, Malouda; Anelka, Drogba, Kalou

Prediction

With both sides scoring and leaking goals of late, the man behind the scoreboard should be kept busy, but with the blues of London desperate to make amends after disappointingly losing twice in three games, expect McLeish to be left blue in the face after this one.

Birmingham 1-3 Chelsea

Read More

20-11-2010 13:45 Arsenal - Tottenham Hotspur

Gunners Aiming For Top Spot...
 
Second host seventh at the Emirates in Saturday’s lunchtime kick-off, which will be the 165th meeting between these bitter north London neighbours, their 147th league clash and 37th in the Premier League. But the ever-present pressure to win this fixture will be intensified because Arsenal have the incentive of going top, even if only temporarily, by winning – and Spurs have the incentive of making sure that doesn’t happen, while closing the gap on fourth-placed Manchester City.

Arsene Wenger’s side enjoyed a near-perfect weekend last time out, beating Everton away after Manchester United had been held by Aston Villa and before Chelsea crashed to an unaccustomed home defeat by Sunderland.

Those results meant that the Gunners closed to with two points of the Blues, in sharp contrast to an alternative scenario which would have seen Chelsea eight points ahead had the Black Cats been despatched and the Toffees stuck it to visiting Londoners. The challenge for Arsenal now is to build on that turn of events by achieving a third straight win; the boost to local pride will be highly desirable secondary bonus.

However, their impressive wins at Molineux and Goodison last week should not obscure the fact that Arsenal’s recent home form has been below par. Defeat by West Bromwich Albion, somewhat laboured victories over Birmingham and West Ham, and that loss to Newcastle speak ominously of a team currently ill at ease on their own  turf.

Wenger will be desperate to re-establish dominance at home, which is an imperative for any title-winning team. And his squad are certainly contenders. Midfielder Samir Nasri – whose speed of thought and foot impressed for France at Wembley – is optimistic it could be Arsenal’s turn this year. Beating Spurs on Saturday wouldn’t guarantee that but it would underline their intent.

Recent history is undoubtedly on their side: the Gunners have taken 29 points from a possible 33 in their last 11 home league games against their rivals, have lost only one of the last 21 and are unbeaten against Tottenham at home for 18 years.  Moreover, they beat Spurs 4-1 at White Hart Lane in a League Cup tie in September.

...But Spurs Feel The Balance Is Shifting In Their Favour
 
Tottenham, though, sense the wind of change blowing through north London. Their 2-1 win at the Lane last April finally ended a nightmare sequence against the old enemy, and was a key stepping-stone on their route into this season’s Champions League. Having had to endure watching the Gunners go far in that competition year after year, Spurs are now participants, enjoying themselves hugely and making many sit up and take notice with a scintillating win over defending champions Inter.

Striker Peter Crouch said this week: “We're a lot closer to them than we have been for a long time, and against the best we seem to raise our game.”

That may be true, but a damning statistic for Spurs fans is that it is now 68 league games since Tottenham last won away against one of the Premier League’s 'big four' clubs - Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal or Liverpool. They’ve had 20 draws and 48 defeats against this quartet since beating Liverpool 2-1 at Anfield back in August 1993.

However, in Rafael van der Vaart and Gareth Bale they boast two of the League’s most in-form players, and they will make the short trip down the Seven Sisters Road buoyed by their 4-2 victory over Blackburn Rovers last weekend, and with boyhood Arsenal fan Redknapp trying to convince his players that the Gunners are unusually vulnerable at home just now.

Spurs have already beaten  Stoke City and Fulham away from home this season, and will feel they have a good opportunity to achieve their first win on Arsenal turf since May 1993 when George Graham, who went on to manage at White Hart Lane, fielded a shadow XI at Highbury a few days before the Gunners’ FA Cup final appearance and duly paid the price with a 3-1 defeat.

TEAM NEWS
 
Arsenal

Central defender Laurent Koscielny is back in contention having completed his two-match suspension, imposed after collecting his second red card of the season towards the end of Arsenal’s last home game, the 1-0 defeat by Newcastle United.

Young midfielder Jack Wilshere, who missed England’s midweek friendly thanks to a back injury sustained during the win at Everton last Sunday, faces a fitness test but is hopeful of making the north London derby.

Also facing fitness tests after the midweek internationals are Andrey Arshavin and Tomas Rosicky.

Robin van Persie played a pre-agreed 45 minutes for the Netherlands against Turkey, and came through unscathed and with his return to full fitness enhanced.

But Manuel Almunia (elbow), Abou Diaby (ankle), Emmanuel Frimpong (knee), Aaron Ramsey (broken leg/fitness) and Thomas Vermaelen (Achilles) are all still sidelined.

Possible starting XI: Fabianski; Sanga, Koscielny, Squillaci, Clichy; Nasri, Song, Denilson; Walcott, Fabregas, Chamakh.
 
Tottenham
 
Striker Jermain Defoe, having recovered from ankle surgery, is back in training and could be included in Harry Redknapp’s squad, possibly as a substitute.

Winger Aaron Lennon is due to have his fitness assessed following his hamstring problem, but midfielder Tom Huddlestone has been ruled out for three months with an ankle injury.

Michael Dawson (knee & ankle), Robbie Keane (ankle), Giovani dos Santos, Ledley King & Jonathan Woodgate (all groin), and Jamie O'Hara (back) are all unavailable.

Possible starting XI: Gomes; Hutton, Kaboul, Gallas, Assou-Ekotto; Van der Vaart, Jenas, Modric, Bale; Pavlyuchenko, Crouch.

Prediction

This is a game almost certain to produce goals: the last six north London derbies (league and cup) have generated 25 of them, including eight in an unforgettable 4-4 draw at the Emirates just over two years ago, when Harry Redknapp had just taken over as Spurs boss.

However, Redknapp will be concerned that Spurs have kept only one clean sheet in their last 23 Premier League matches against the Gunners, and conceded 15 in their last seven league and cup games this season. Indeed, Tottenham haven’t kept a Premier League clean sheet since holding Manchester City to a goalless draw on the opening day of the season, while Arsenal’s next goal will be their 50th in all competitions this season.

Arsenal will go top, at least briefly, if they win – something they’ve managed in five of their last six league games, although they lost their last one at home. However, they haven’t suffered back-to-back home league defeats for 13 years, and will be fully focused on avoiding that fate against their arch-rivals. Expect a fiercely contested but entertaining derby, with home advantage just tipping the balance.

Arsenal 3-2 Tottenham

Read More