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Cape Town - In the times of sensational tabloid headlines, match day commentators Peter Drury and Jim Beglin’s hyperboles and the need for instant gratification, the calls that the first north London derby of the season is “make or break” could well be classified as fake news. The stark reality though ahead of the 14:30 kick-off is that this match could well be season-defining.
Click to bet on this weekend's EPL fixtures
For Spurs, they arrive in good spirits. Under Mauricio Pochettino, they have a manager who is yet to experience defeat in this fixture and with a fit Harry Kane, who has scored in all five of his appearances in the derby, leading the line, the guests have an explosive frontline capable of beating the best - just ask Real Madrid. Oh, and there’s Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen, fresh from a hat-trick in midweek, to factor in too.
The hosts know what they are up against as they attempt to snap out of their longest ever winless run against their arch enemies. Home comforts, they have won their first five matches at home in seven seasons, will count for something but then again, Spurs care little for the status quo as they continue to force their way into the “top four”.
A bleak picture has been painted if you are reading from red-tinted glasses but is that harsh? Arsenal have given their Gooners little to cheer about and the on-off love relationship with contract rebels Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil hardly helps the picture.
The facts are these, the hosts are 12 points behind the leaders and four behind Spurs, a loss and it’s tickets when it comes to league aspirations and puts them firmly in the bunch of outsiders for the fourth Champions League spot.
Spurs are a side who have found themselves, it is them who own England’s brightest talents and have a sprinkling of foreign stars to back them up and key to all this, is under Pochettino there will be no parking the bus on Saturday. Instead, Spurs will come out firing and have more than enough ammunition to win the battle and ultimately war against the Gunners.
Bet against Harry Kane to score at your peril - he will be as keen as anyone of the couple of thousand travelling fans to
scratch “St Totteringham's Day” from the calendar. Kane will open the scoring
(7/2 on BET.co.za) and will they will most likely concede, the Lilywhite trio
of Kane, Alli and Eriksen will sway this duel in Spurs’ favour.
