Spurs can shatter Arsenal title hopes, Foxes to overcome Watford
Published:
Lee Gormley | March 4, 2016
In Saturday’s crucial live televised Premier League clashes, high-flying Tottenham will look to end Arsenal’s title hopes in the biggest north London derby in recent years, while table toppers Leicester City contest defiant Watford.
Tottenham v Arsenal
- Premier League
- Saturday, March 5th
- Kick-off: 12:45 GMT
- White Hart Lane, London
- Live on BT Sport 1
Spurs seek decisive derby delight
Tottenham enter a crucial north London derby searching for a victory which would shatter bitter rivals Arsenal’s Premier League title ambitions and massively boost their own, with the hosts holding confidence from just a single home fixture loss in seven previous outings.
Mauricio Pochettino’s Spurs have the chance to close the gap on leaders Leicester with further White Hart Lane success, a derby win which would see Arsenal lose four consecutive games in all competitions for the first time since October 2002.
Harry Kane has netted three times in two league meetings with the Gunners and is 3/1 with Coral to fire Spurs to victory (£20 max stake), with Arsenal’s woes having recently been worsened by the untimely injury to goalkeeper Petr Cech.
Tottenham to down Gunners?
Visiting boss Arsene Wenger confirmed his reliant shot stopper would be out for up to four weeks with a calf problem, with David Ospina set to take his place between the sticks instead. French defender Laurent Koscielny is also an absentee for Arsenal, who are 2/1 to prevail on the road.
The hosts come into this clash on the back of a rare defeat to West Ham United on Wednesday night, but their Argentine coach is still backing his men to fire in Saturday’s early kick-off.
“Our squad is confident, it was only one defeat. The most important thing is that we had chances in that second half, I don’t feel the squad feels pressure,” stated Pochettino. “We have 10 games, a lot of points to play for.”
There is hope for the Gunners though, despite injuries and a recent decline in domestic form, with their last visit to White Hart lane resulting in a Capital One Cup coup, though they possess hapless away league form of just two of their last eight matches.
Sanchez has perfect chance to rekindle form
Alexis Sanchez had been key to any success Wenger’s men have enjoyed since his switch from Barcelona, but the usually clinical Chilean has endured a baron run, now without a goal in 11 league appearances, stretching back to October.
The stuttering forward is 11/4 to finally end his hapless streak by netting anytime, while Olivier Giroud and Danny Welbeck are 15/8 and 2/1 for goals of their respectively. A draw can be had at 23/10.
Spurs sharpshooter Kane has 13 strikes in 17 London derbies in the top-flight and will undoubtedly be the main threat for Tottenham, but in-form Nacer Chadli is 7/4 to dispatch anytime, with midfield maestro Dele Alli 7/1 to open proceedings.
In what is always a feisty affair, potential new customers can back a yellow card to be shown anytime at 4/1 with a maximum £5 stake, as Spurs and Arsenal both battle for local bagging rights and to keep their title prospects on course.
Watford v Leicester City
- Premier League
- Saturday, March 5th
- Kick-off: 17:30 GMT
- Vicarage Road, Watford
- Live on Sky Sports 1
Foxes look to extend lead at summit
Claudio Ranieri’s Leicester will look to take a huge step closer to a historic Premier League title triumph when they travel to Vicarage Road for a clash with Watford, with the hosts having won just one of the last five fixture match-ups.
That last win was one of the most memorable moments in Championship history, as Troy Deeney struck in the 97th minute just seconds after Leicester had missed a penalty, ultimately earning the Hornets a play-off final place.
A lot has changed since then, with the Foxes now aiming to reign supreme atop England’s showcase division, and they are 16/5 to earn three points without conceding on their travels.
Vardy to sting Hornets?
Leicester’s amazing achievements so far have somewhat overshadowed that of Watford, with Quique Sanchez Flores’ Hornets having spent most of the campaign in the top half, though they have now dropped to 12th.
The hosts are 19/10 to prevail in front of their own fans and will buoyed by the fact they have only lost one of their last seven home games against Leicester, with five wins in that time.
Although, the Hornets failed to keep a clean sheet in their last 13 outings on all fronts, and Foxes frontman Jamie Vardy is 9/2 to open the scoring, while fellow attacker Riyad Mahrez is 2/1 to dispatch anytime.
For the home side, Deeney is 6/1 to bag the last goal of Saturday’s late top-flight kick-off, while Odion Ighalo and Nordin Amrabat are 6/4 and 2/1 to strike anytime.
Related
Coral’s top tip: Back Harry Kane to score in a north London victory for Tottenham at 2/1 (£20 max stake).
