Tuesday, April 19, 2011

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20.04. (Wed) 20:45 Tottenham Hotspur - Arsenal



DID YOU KNOW?

* Tottenham have lost just once at White Hart Lane in the Premier League all season. That defeat came back in August when Wigan won 1-0 courtesy of a Hugo Rodallega goal.

* PFA Player of the Year Gareth Bale has not scored for Spurs since New Year’s Day in the 1-0 win over Fulham.

* Harry Redknapp's men have scored just 22 goals at White Hart Lane this season in the league - only Birmingham, Sunderland, Blackburn and Wigan have scored fewer goals at home.

* Rafael van der Vaart remains Tottenham’s top goalscorer this season with 12 goals but the Dutchman has not scored in front of his own fans since November.

* Spurs have only lost one of their last 10 league games, against Blackpool when they slumped to a 3-1 defeat at Bloomfield Road.

* Arsenal have yet to lose on their travels in the Premier League this year. In six games, the Gunners have won three and drawn three and are the only top flight team unbeaten in 2011.

* However, they have won just one of their last five games in the league, a 3-1 victory over Blackpool.

* The Gunners head to White Hart Lane with the best away record in the division, with eight wins (three more than Manchester United) and just two defeats.

* Indeed Arsenal’s last away league defeat came back in December when they lost 1-0 to Manchester United at Old Trafford.

* The Gunners' draw with Liverpool at the weekend was the seventh time this season they have dropped points from a winning position (the others include Newcastle, Tottenham, Sunderland, Wigan, Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League and Leyton Orient in the FA Cup).

LAST MEETING

November 20, 2010: Arsenal 2-3 Tottenham

Last time out Spurs staged a brilliant comeback at the Emirates to beat Arsenal on their home turf for the first time in 17 years despite going two goals down after less than half an hour.

Samir Nasri and Marouane Chamakh put the Gunners into a comfortable lead but Gareth Bale gave Spurs hope before a Rafael van der Vaart penalty and a late Younes Kaboul header completed a magnificent comeback.

PROBABLE LINE-UPS

Tottenham: Gomes; Corluka, Dawson, Gallas, Assou-Ekotto; Lennon, Huddlestone, Modric, Bale; Van der Vaart; Crouch.

Arsenal: Szczesny; Eboue, Djourou, Koscielny, Clichy; Song, Wilshere; Nasri, Fabregas, Walcott; Van Persie.

Prediction
This is a fixture that is usually full of goals and with so much riding on the result, for both sides, an enticing tie is in prospect at White Hart Lane.

A win for the hosts will see them complete a league double over Arsenal and move level on points with Manchester City in fourth. The Gunners, meanwhile, simply must win if they are to have any chance of beating Manchester United to the title.

However, seven of the last 10 games between these two sides at White Hart Lane have ended all square and with little to chose between the two clubs it would be little surprise if this was another stalemate.

Tottenham 2-2 Arsenal