If this season and recent history are anything to go by, this afternoon’s game at the Emirates ought to be an absolute cracker.
Between them, Spurs and Arsenal have scored 50 goals and conceded 27 in just 19 games this term at an average of 4.05 goals per game.
However, that would be the equivalent of last week’s bore draw between Portsmouth and Bolton compared with the drama served up in previous years.
Who could forget the 4-4 draw at the Emirates last year in which David Bentley scored a belter of a volley and Aaron Lennon broke Gooners’ hearts in the dying seconds?
Or how about the equally thrilling way Martin Jol introduced himself to the Premier League with a 9 goal defeat at White Hart Lane?
The last 0-0 was last February but apart from that, you’d have to go all the way back to November 14th 1998 and 25 games to find another and between those times there were only four occasions when a team kept a clean sheet.
At least Gomes and co. won’t have Emmannuel Adebayor to contend with this time. The Togo striker has scored eight goals in eight starts against the Lilywhites and we still have to face him twice this season, now wearing the blue of Manchester City.
Having lost their derby day talisman, Arsenal will be hoping that the good form of Palacios and Huddlestone will keep our own rival-beating star Jermaine Jenas out of the Spurs eleven. The Tottenham number 8 has four goals against our North London rivals, including three in his last four starts.
All this, coupled with the added interest of only being separated in the table by goal difference, should hopefully make the first North London derby of the season one to remember. Fingers crossed Rob’Boo’ Keane and Heuralho ‘Ghoul’mes give Arsenal the Halloween fright of their lives!
By Jamie Frier
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