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EPL Preview: Little London Derby And Quest For History In Man Utd Versus Arsenal

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December 02, (THEWILL) – An exciting pair of football action will go down tonight to complete the midweek batch of English Premier League games with no less than three London sides heavily involved.

A London derby between Antonio Conte’s Tottenham Hotspur and Thomas Frank’s Brentford will kick off Thursday’s fixtures at half past eight before two of the EPL’s decorated sides, Manchester United and Arsenal slug it out in the late night tie billed for 9:15 pm.

Here, THEWILL offers a preview of what to look forward to in the two games in matchday 14 round of EPL fixtures.

Tottenham Hotspur Versus Brentford – 8:30 pm

Tottenham Hotspur will welcome Brentford to North London after receiving an extra weekend’s worth of preparation thanks to Storm Arwen. Over the weekend, Antonio Conte’s team had their match against Burnley postponed, while Everton were defeated 1-0 by the Bees.

The Lilywhites’ long and difficult journey to Turf Moor was in vain, but Antonio Conte confessed that the conditions rendered a meaningful game of football “impossible” to play, as the Italian prepares to return to familiar territory on thursday.

Tottenham have almost perfected a pattern of winning one and then losing one at home in the Premier League, which does not speak well for them ahead of this weekend, and London derbies have not been their strong suit, as they have lost their previous five against teams from the capital.

After a run of two losses and a draw in their previous three games, Thomas Frank’s Brentford team sunk Everton in front of their own fans at the weekend. Their poor defence has conceded six goals in their last two away matches, which is cause for concern.

Spurs’ first team will undoubtedly benefit from the forced rest given to them before this match, and the home supporters will be expecting a swift response to their humiliation in Slovenia to MS Mura.

Manchester United Versus Arsenal – 9:15 pm
Manchester United prepare to welcome old rivals Arsenal to Old Trafford for a Premier League clash on Thursday, with Michael Carrick poised to remain in the dugout. In United’s most recent game, the Red Devils earned a point against league leaders Chelsea, while the Gunners defeated Newcastle United 2-0.

But, United’s 63-year-old new manager Ralf Rangnick’s work permit has not been cleared in time for him to take over on Thursday and a Carrick-led Man United fought courageously at Stamford Bridge on Sunday evening to take a point against the prediction of most pundits.

That point, however, has done little to improve United’s position on the EPL table, as they currently are ninth with 18 points, three places and five points behind the Gunners. Furthermore, the Red Devils have struggled to win games at home this season, a loophole that Mikel Arteta’s young guns will seek to exploit.

Arteta’s men are one point short of fourth-placed West Ham, who are having a fantastic season, highlighting how far the Gunners have come since their worst-ever start to a Premier League season after the first three games.

Arsenal have apparently benefited from a lack of European football this season, and they had kept three straight clean sheets on the road before losing at Anfield to Liverpool.

The men from the Emirates are unbeaten in their previous six Premier League meetings with United and have not conceded a goal against the Red Devils since September 2019 but they have never gone seven league games without a win against the North London club.

Their last triumph was a 2-1 win in April 2018, when Marouane Fellaini scored a late goal for the Red Devils. It is the type of historical record Carrick will want to change.

But, all these can evoke a new sense of hope for the Gunners as Arteta’s young prospects prepare for a true test of their mettle and Aaron Ramsdale gets his wish to face Cristiano Ronaldo, if the Portuguese star features.

About the Author

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Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.

Jude Obafemi, THEWILLhttps://thewillnews.com
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.

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