Tottenham Hotspur travel to take on Arsenal this afternoon.
Pundit Mark Lawrenson has told BBC Sport that he thinks Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur will play out a 1-1 draw at the Emirates Stadium this afternoon.
The international break is now over, and the Premier League returns to the spotlight this weekend, with a blockbuster meeting kicking off proceedings.
Arsenal head into their clash with rivals Spurs having lost 3-1 at Manchester City before the international break, with Arsene Wenger’s men once again coming up short in a big away game.
The Gunners now sit four points behind Spurs and 12 points behind league leaders Manchester City, meaning today’s game is pivotal for Arsenal.
Rivals Spurs beat Crystal Palace 1-0 at Wembley Stadium before the international break, and Mauricio Pochettino’s men remain in pursuit of leaders City.
Given that Spurs are eight points behind Pep Guardiola’s men, Pochettino needs a victory – and he will hope to keep up his record of never having lost to Arsenal in the Premier League as Spurs boss.
Pochettino should have trio Harry Winks, Dele Alli and Harry Kane available after missing England’s international friendlies, and Spurs will be hoping to prove that the balance of power in North London really has shifted.
Ahead of the game, pundit Mark Lawrenson has told BBC Sport that he thinks that both sides will be happy with a point, and is backing a 1-1 draw – which would be the fourth successive 1-1 draw between the two teams at the Emirates Stadium, and would give both sets of fans a sense of deja vu.
“This feels like a strange game to start us off again after two weeks without the Premier League. There has still been plenty of hype about it, but I think there would have been more without the international break,” said Lawrenson. “Will that hype be justified? Probably not. I have a feeling both teams will cancel each other out, and both of them will be happy enough with a point.”
“Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was unhappy with the decisions that went against his side in their defeat by Manchester City last time out, but I was there – and City deserved to win. Tottenham won their last game before the international break, against Crystal Palace, but they made hard work of it. They will be better this weekend, though, because Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Harry Winks will all be back after missing out on England duty through injury,” he added.
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