Do Not Sell My Personal Information
An exciting North London derby lies in wait this weekend and Mikael Silvestre has stated his prediction on how that game could go.
THE LOWDOWN: MORE THAN JUST BRAGGING RIGHTS
The 192nd edition of the North London derby has more than just bragging rights to it as whoever wins will remain or go top of the table for sure. Though this fixture has been rather unpredictable in recent years, Tottenham have slightly had the upper hand, including a 2-0 victory when both sides last met in May. However, they will meet a different-looking Arsenal side this time around.
The Gunners know that to do better than recent seasons, they must start to claim maximum points against their rivals and based on the recent form of both sides, they are slight favourites to win this time around.
However, there couldn’t have been a more difficult derby to predict than the upcoming clash on Saturday. Arsenal are the league leaders with 18 points from seven games, having only lost to Manchester United, while Tottenham and Manchester City are the only two sides yet to taste defeat and a point behind the Gunners.
Former United and Arsenal man Mikael Silvestre admits a tough fixture lies in wait and is only certain that goals will come in good amounts.
THE LATEST: GOALS EXPECTED AT THE EMIRATES
Predicting how the derby could go, Silvestre is expecting an end-to-end encounter from both sides.
In an exclusive interview with BettingExpert, he said: “It will be electric, that’s for sure. I think the way the teams are playing right now, the way the managers are pushing the games, they are passionate. I think there will be a real battle everywhere on the pitch.”
“And it’s hard to predict who’s gonna finish on top. It’s gonna be an exciting game, that’s for sure. I see a lot of goals, maybe a draw, but it’s gonna be like a boxing match.”
Gabriel Jesus has made quite an impression since arriving from Manchester City, scoring four goals and recording three assists in his first seven games. However, Silvestre believes it is another name that will be the difference for Arsenal against Antonio Conte’s men.
He added: “Few manage to stop Harry Kane from scoring. Son’s just scored three goals in his last game but Kane is still the main one. So, Saliba, Gabriel and Benjamin White will start at the back four and Arsenal have the big task of stopping Kane from scoring.”
“And then for Arsenal, Odegaard is the playmaker and he has a lot of influence. He’s captain this year and he has the most to offer. I know Jesus is highly rated and one of the main guys but if I have to pick one, it’s probably Martin Odegaard.”
THE VERDICT: FAIR POINT
Admittedly, this edition of the North London derby can go either way and it could yet be defined through fine margins or seeing one side take absolute dominance over the other. Starting strong could be key and whoever scores first could yet have a stronger chance at claiming bragging rights and all three points.
