Arsenal v Tottenham: hosts to score first but unlikely to hold on

Tottenham have tended to be slow starters at the Emirates in the Premier League and this could make Arsenal great value at 5/6 to score first in the North London derby.

In the five previous Premier League encounters at the Emirates, Arsenal have struck first in four of them and Arsene Wenger will be anxious for another quick start to prevent any more backlash from his own fans.

The fact that Tottenham have only managed to keep clean sheets in three of their 12 away Premier League fixtures so far is another element that supports Arsenal potentially scoring first.

Furthermore, Spurs have managed to shut out Arsenal just once in their last 32 matches in all competitions between the pair.

With Robin Van Persie averaging a goal a game across his last 42 Premier League matches, he must be the most likely candidate to score first, particularly as he is also responsible for over half of Arsenal’s top-flight goals at the Emirates this season.

Van Persie is 4/1 to break the deadlock, with Emmanuel Adebayor the next best in this market at 5/1 to give Tottenham the lead against his former club.

In terms of match betting, many punters will want to side with Tottenham at 7/4 given that they have lost just one of the last seven league meetings with Arsenal.

Meanwhile, Arsenal have only taken four points from their clashes this season with the other six teams in the top seven of the Premier League standings at present.

Therefore, the 9/1 on offer that Tottenham come from behind to triumph, as they did at the Emirates last season, could be worthy of some attention.

Arsenal’s odds are 6/4 to win and boost their hopes of finishing in the top four, with the draw available 9/4.