Opta Big Match Stats: Back over 3.5 goals between Arsenal and Tottenham

Arsenal's Mikel Arteta tries to contain Tottenham's Gareth Bale

Using the Opta stats, Christian Crowther predicts a high-scoring draw between north London's elite...

Arsenal versus Tottenham has seen more draws in Premier League history than any other fixture (17)
One of the Premier League's bitterest local rivalries will kick off the weekend's festivities on Saturday lunchtime. Arsenal, winless in two league games, entertain a Tottenham side sitting only one place above them in seventh in a similar rut, with just one point separating these loveless neighbours. This game is bound to be played at the sort of frenetic pace we have come to expect from this fixture over the years, but something that's much harder to pick this season is a winner. Neither side are in good form and the desire not to lose may end up being telling. Both sides are full of potential match winners, though they haven't justified that billing lately. 

There have been 23 goals scored in the last four Premier League games between Spurs and Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium and nine of the last 10 meetings in all competitions have seen at least three goals scored
If this is to be a draw, don't fear, the stats point to an entertaining affair, with all roads leading to a high score. Last season alone, this fixture produced seven goals at the Emirates, with the return at White Hart Lane also getting over the 2.5 mark, as Spurs earned a 2-1 win. The hosts' defence came in for high praise in the early weeks though now it is leaking goals at an alarming rate - an average of three a game in their last four. All of those games have gone over the 3.5 mark as goals have rained at either end for the Gunners. Tottenham themselves have only failed to score in two of their 17 matches in all competitions this season and it's seven games since the Lilywhites last kept a clean sheet. 

There have been five penalties in the last five meetings in all competitions between Spurs and Arsenal, with Tottenham winning one spot-kick in three of the last four league games
There's nothing like one of England's old-fashioned derbies to get the juices flowing and this is one of the tastiest that the Premier League has to offer. Thanks to the cosy proximity of the two clubs rash, tackles are likely to be flying in on both sides, with the potential for a penalty never far away. As the indent suggests, this fixture has been littered with spot kicks in recent times, Tottenham winning the majority of those. With players such as Gareth Bale, Aaron Lennon and Theo Walcott driving into the box, one overzealous challenge is all it will take.

Recommended Bets:
Back Arsenal and Tottenham to draw @ 3.814/5
Back over 3.5 goals @ 2.6213/8
Back there to be a penalty awarded @ 2.6213/8