Suspension for young star will see Arsenal overtake Tottenham
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Just like death and taxes, one thing that’s always guaranteed is that Arsenal will finish above their London rivals Tottenham Hotspur.
St Totteringham’s Day, Arsenal’s commemoration of finishing above their rivals, has been celebrated every year since 1995, but it looked like Spurs had finally ended the run this season.
Mauricio Pochettino’s men are five points clear of the Emirates outfit, but a Dele Alli suspension looks set to scupper their chances.
The 19-year-old midfielder will miss the rest of the campaign following a ban for punching West Bromwich Albion’s Claudio Yacob.
His absence is sure to hit Tottenham hard, especially when you consider how they have fared without him on the previous occasions where he hasn’t been in the team.
Spurs are winless in the two league games Alli didn’t play, drawing with Chelsea and Stoke City, while his introduction to the starting line-up ended a run of four games without a win at the start of the season.
Similarly, the Londoners’ Europa League exit came while the youngster was serving a suspension and he was only on the pitch for 15 minutes when they were knocked out of the Capital One Cup by the Gunners.
The chance of Arsenal overtaking their neighbours is further enhanced when you look at their contrasting run ins.
Harry Kane and company head to Stamford Bridge next to face a Chelsea side they haven’t beaten at that ground since 1990.
Indeed, their last three trips there have seen them lose on each occasion, conceding nine and failing to score.
After that they face Southampton, who are unbeaten in three, before finishing the season at Newcastle United, who have the same run without a loss.
Conversely, the Gunners have Norwich, who have lost 11 times this calendar year, Manchester City, who have the Champions League to focus on as well as losing their earlier encounter, and the already-relegated Aston Villa.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
