Arsenal take the short trip across North London to take on their arch-rivals on Thursday night and according to Michael Owen, the Gunners won’t get too creative.
The pundit has predicted a draw primarily because that result will suit Arsenal much more than it will benefit Tottenham Hotspur. Owen believes the onus will be on Antonio Conte’s side to pick up a win so Arsenal won’t be pushing the envelope.
He wrote in his BetVictor column: “I’ve been looking forward to this one for weeks. Spurs may have dropped points at the weekend, but it was an impressive draw at Anfield. You can see what Conte is building, and they aren’t far away from being a very good side.
“For Arsenal, it wasn’t a classic performance, but the win over Leeds was vital in extending their lead over Spurs. Nketiah was in amongst the goals again, he looks a natural finisher.
“Even a draw would be a good result for Arsenal here. I think that’s what we will see. I’m leaning towards 1-1.”
⚽️ Heung-Min Son is the 5th different player to score 20+ goals in a PL season for Tottenham, after
Teddy Sheringham
Jurgen Klinsmann
Gareth Bale
Harry Kane (x5) pic.twitter.com/P5TKpnK0Fl— Sky Sports Statto (@SkySportsStatto) May 7, 2022
Will Arsenal play for a draw in the North London Derby?
Michael Owen has predicted the most logical course that Arsenal can take on Thursday night but we have a feeling that this is the path of self-destruction.
Spurs have one of the most ruthless attacking trios in the Premier League so Arsenal cannot just afford to park the bus and expect to come out of it with a clean sheet. Yes, they have won four games on the trot but it’s also true that they have conceded five goals in these matches.
Obviously, they will look to play on the counter but Mikel Arteta’s boys cannot be sedentary from the very first minute. They will have to try and score the first goal and maybe then get into their shell because as long as the match is at 0-0, Mikel Arteta won’t be able to rest easy.
Arsenal haven’t kept a clean sheet in their last seven matches and against players like Son, Kane and Kulusevksi, this unwanted record will probably get extended so the best thing they can do is to take the initiative and score one or maybe two goals.
